


Back to the Future

by PaintingWithDarkness



Category: Blue Beetle (Comics), Static Shock, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bluepulse, Coming Out, Cuddling, Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Kissing, Love, M/M, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Secrets Revealed, Speedbuggy, Supermartian in the background, bart kicks ass, khaji and bart are the jaime reyes protection squad, khaji is on mode, scavenger's rights, the reach is mean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 20:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19236505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintingWithDarkness/pseuds/PaintingWithDarkness
Summary: If Blue catches you, you're good as dead.Hope Flash comes to save you, dressed in red.Purple was the color of the Tornado TwinsTil hope was lost and the Reach claimed the win.Resistance flags burned white through the ash,Everyone hoping the mode could be crashed.But plasma cannon blasts turned flesh to blackAnd inhibitor collars got harder to hack.Long live the heroes of the next generation:Kid Flash in yellow; Impulse in carnation.Only one chance to wipe the timeline cleanAnd return a ruined world to its original state of green.





	1. Just the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluepulsebluepulse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluepulsebluepulse/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M'gann wants to try a new training exercise with the team.

“M’gann, are you sure this will be safe for them? When we tried this with your uncle…” Conner crossed his arms across his chest defensively. “It didn’t exactly go well. Artemis went into a coma and the rest of us were… well, traumatized to say the least.”

 

“Conner,” Miss Martian smiled at the Kryptonian reassuringly. “This time I won’t be entering the simulation with them. It was my subconscious mind that overrode the simulation last time. Consciously, we all knew it was a training exercise, but my subconscious mind couldn’t make that distinction because I was ruled by my emotions, and my powers, including my telepathy, were functioning on that level, rather than out in the real world, which is where I will be controlling the simulation from this time around. My uncle J’onn lost control over the exercise because I accidentally overpowered him. But I’ve trained to better control my powers, and I don’t like to brag, but I am stronger than him telepathically.”

 

Superboy sighed. “That’s not what I’m worried about. I suppose I just don’t like the idea. We had a bad experience with it the last time, and it only seems to me like we’ll be asking for trouble by trying it again.”

 

“No one on the team is a telepath.” M’gann grabbed her fiancé’s hand. “Plus I did think of a few changes we can make to the exercise as precautionary measures. For starters,” the martian let go of Conner’s hand to begin ticking off her suggestions on her fingers, “I won’t be in the simulation with them. That alone should allow me to maintain control. Secondly,” another finger, “I’m not going to put the whole team under at once. I want to do it in pairs, that way, if I do have to enter the simulation for some reason, my mind won’t be overpowered by their emotions, as Uncle J’onn’s was upon his entry into our simulation. Lastly, I’m going to be drawing the scenario from their memories. I’m hoping the familiarity of their surroundings will help them to remember that it’s a training exercise. We were put into an unfamiliar situation, which made it seem more plausible for the scenario that we were in to be real. I’m just going to look for memories of a previous mission and tweak a few of the details before I put the pairs into them. Change the villain we fought, the objective of the mission, take the other members of the team out. And I’m not doing this as a train to fail exercise like Batman wanted it to be for us. I don’t want anyone to ‘die’.” M’gann used air-quotes to emphasize her point. “I’m doing it to build trust among the members of the team. Geoforce, Halo and Forager just joined. Plus, it has been a little rough since Arrowette, Robin and Spoiler left with Green Arrow and Batman.”

 

Conner looked as though he were considering M’gann’s proposition. He took a couple seconds to think, and finally sighed resignatedly. “Kaldur put you in charge of the team. I’m personally not all for the idea, but I’m not going to undermine your authority. Ultimately, it’s your decision. If you think you and the team can handle it, then I’ll support you.”

 

M’gann smiled and stretched up to kiss the Kryptonian. “Thank you,” she said when they pulled away from one another. “Let’s go brief the team.”

* * *

“ _Recognized: Blue Beetle- B-two-two. Recognized: Kid Flash- B-two-three._ ” The monotone of the computer cut across the boys’ conversation as they exited the zeta tube and arrived on the Watchtower.

 

“All I’m saying is that we can’t keep it a secret from them forever,” Bart was saying.

 

Jaime ran a hand through his hair. He was armored down at the moment, but could have the azure and obsidian carapace covering his body in less than a second if need-be. “I know Cariño,” he whispered, careful that no one in close vicinity to them could overhear, “but I haven’t even come out to my parents yet. I have to tell them before we tell the team.”

 

“Tell us what?” Traci bounded up to the pair, clearly having caught the tail-end of Jaime’s sentence. Since joining the team not too long ago, she had been eager to make friends and had latched onto Bart and Jaime’s duo, making it more of a trio.

 

“Nothing!” Jaime exclaimed, maybe a bit too quickly in response. It caused Traci to raise a brow in suspicion, but the brown-haired girl allowed his answer to slide.

 

“Well,” she said, “if you do decide you need someone to tell a secret to, I’m here.” She gave Jaime’s arm a quick brush with her fingers before walking off again to join the other members of the team who were already on the Tower.

 

Bart had to keep himself from growling. It was clear that Traci had the hots for Jaime, but his boyfriend was oblivious to her advances. Bart supposed he should be fortunate for that, given that Jaime was bisexual, and that their relationship was still relatively new. He and Jaime had only been dating for a couple of months now, and hadn’t revealed their status as a couple to anyone yet. While Bart had known that he was gay for quite a time now, Jaime was still trying to get a grip on his own sexuality. Bart was the first boy he’d ever really liked in a more-than-friends way, and wasn’t quite sure how anyone would react to him coming out as bi. Not that Bart had exactly told anyone that he was batting for the other team either. Still, he didn’t appreciate someone else flirting with his boyfriend in front of him. He just wanted to tell everyone that he and Jaime were together so that he could get the pressures of slipping up and pissing Jaime off off of his back, and hopefully discourage the magic-user’s unsolicited advances.

 

“We should join the others,” Jaime said, nudging Bart in the arm and drawing him from his thoughts.

 

The speedster nodded and proceeded to follow his boyfriend over to the other five members of the team that had gathered.

 

“Where’s Virgil?” Bart asked, noticing that he was the only one missing from their crew of eight.

 

“Called in and said that some villain group in Dakota City called the Meta-Breed was holding him up,” Superboy said as he and Miss Martian joined the team of younger heroes.

 

“We’ll start the mission briefing when he gets here,” Miss Martian said. “He shouldn’t be long.”

 

A few minutes passed, which the team spent talking amongst themselves. Bart and Jaime joined in on Cassie and Forager’s conversation, while Brion, Halo and Traci chatted in another group. When the computer finally called out Static’s designation and a frazzled-looking Virgil came traipsing into the Watchtower, Miss Martian called the team together.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Virgil apologized when the group was finally gathered. “Ebon and Hotstreak gave me a little trouble.” He tugged on one of his dreads, which looked like it had been singed on the end.

 

M’gann gave him an encouraging smile before getting on with the briefing. “I wanted to try a new training exercise for this afternoon,” she started with. “I’ll understand if some of you might be wary, as it does involve going into your minds. But I won’t be intrusive!” she quickly added, so as to not make any of the younger heroes overly uncomfortable. “I only plan on using the information and memories that you’re willing to volunteer. It’s a mental simulation exercise. The original team, that being myself, Superboy, Nightwing, Aquaman, Tigress and the first Kid Flash-” Bart winced slightly at the mention of his late cousin; Jaime put a comforting arm around his shoulders, “-participated in this exercise years ago, and grew much closer as a team because of it. I’m hoping to build trust among us, since a lot of you are new to one another, and add a little variety to what you’re used to from training.”

 

There was murmuring amongst the members of the team. Jaime could feel Bart shift restlessly next to him. He should have known his boyfriend would be uncomfortable with a training exercise like the one Miss Martian had suggested. He still had a lot of secrets about the future that he didn’t want anyone to know. He’d told Jaime a little- more than the rest of the team knew- but he was aware that there were some things that Bart would likely never tell anyone- even him- about the Reach-ruled wasteland he had grown up in.

 

“You are only going to be using the memories we choose to offer, correct?” Brion asked.

 

“Yes,” the martian clarified. “I’ll be using your memories of previous missions the team has participated in to create the scenarios. Since everything will be in your minds, and it can be considered somewhat of a more intrusive type of exercise, I’m also allowing you to choose your partners this time around, rather than by assignment.”

 

“Ohh! Ohh! I choose Geoforce to be my teammate!” Halo exclaimed immediately.

 

“Blue’s mine!” Bart declared right after, grabbing the Latino’s hand and causing him to blush. A quick glance in Traci’s direction told Bart that he was right to have staked claims on his boyfriend early, given the girl’s brief look of disappointment after his announcement. It was evident that she had planned on asking Jaime to be her partner for the exercise.

 

That left Cassie, Forager, Virgil and Traci to pair up. Virgil ended up with Cassie, being that the two had formed somewhat of a closer friendship since Tim’s unexpected departure from the team, and Forager and Thirteen were forced to partner together, given that they were the only two left.

 

Conner clapped his hands together. “Okay, partners chosen. Who’s going first?”

* * *

As it turned out, Static and Wonder Girl ended up going first for the exercise. M’gann reconfigured the floor of the Watchtower training ring to make two 3D slabs for Virgil and Cassie to lay on and then proceeded to link the team psychically.

 

“ _Everyone online?_ ” she asked the team.

 

“ _Yes!_ ”

 

“ _Yep!_ ”

 

“ _Sí._ ”

 

Miss Martian got various affirmative mental responses.

 

“ _I’m going to start the simulation now. Only Wonder Girl and Static will be active participants in the exercise, however, everyone will be able to see what is going on._ ”

 

“ _And we’ll be unconscious?_ ” Virgil asked.

 

“ _Yes,_ ” Miss M answered. “ _But only you and Cassie for the moment. Once you exit the training scenario, you’ll wake up. The rest of the team will be conscious until it’s their turn._ ”

 

“ _Let’s just get it over with,_ ” Cassie said. Since Robin had quit the team, her usual cheerful and eager disposition had been replaced with one of gloom and bitterness. The older members of the team generally felt a bit bad for her, given that Tim, Stephanie and Cissie had blindsided them, and that Cassie would have been the most affected given her romantic relationship with the current Boy Wonder.

 

M’gann put a hand to her temple, and her eyes glowed green before Cassie and Virgil slumped back onto the slabs, out cold. The surroundings of the training room changed until the six conscious members of the team were standing in what looked to be one part cave, and two parts prism, or house of mirrors.

 

“ _I’ve brought everyone into a space in my mind in order to see what is currently going on in the simulation,_ ” M’gann explained. “ _Wonder Girl, Static and I are mentally connected in a different ‘channel’ so-to-speak, than the rest of you. I’ll be acting as a psychic mediator, linking the two channels. It sort of works like one-way glass. You all can see into the simulation without physically being involved, but Cassie and Virgil can’t see beyond the simulation._ ”

 

“ _Wow._ ” Jaime summed up what the rest of the team was thinking. When he looked around, he could see various images of Cassie and Virgil playing out around them. It appeared as though their scenario was one that had taken place on the War World a few years ago during the Reach invasion. Their mission was to fight off the various War World drones and make it to the control center to defeat Mongul and ultimately shut down the destructive mechanical planet. It was not missed by Jaime that the Reach soldiers that had also been on the War World during the real mission were conveniently absent.

 

In total, Wonder Girl and Static’s training session ended up lasting about twenty minutes. It felt as though much more time had passed- hours- but once out in the real world again, and Virgil and Cassie were conscious, M’gann explained that mind-time and real-time functioned on two completely different planes, and that everyone’s scenarios would take the same general route as theirs had.

 

There was a quick debrief for the two members of the team that had participated, and then the discussion was opened up for the team to suggest improvements and compliment the things that had gone well. Cassie and Virgil had completed their mission, defeating the copious drones, making sure Mongul was K.O.ed and then taking back control of the weapon of mass destruction. Overall, they had done very well.

* * *

Brion and Violet ended up going next, followed by Traci and Forager. Eventually, the only two left to participate in the simulation were Jaime and Bart.

 

“Blue, Kid; you’re up,” Conner called.

 

Despite the Kryptonian’s direction, Bart remained rooted to the spot he was standing on.

 

Noting his nervousness, Jaime gave him a gentle nudge to get him moving. The Latino could see that his boyfriend was still having some doubts about the exercise despite all of their teammates having already participated. As the pair laid down on the slabs in the middle of the room, Jaime gave him a reassuring smile.

 

“Ready, hermano?” the Latino asked.

 

“As I’ll ever be, Blue,” the speedster responded.

 

“ _Starting the simulation now._ ” Miss Martian’s eyes glowed green and then the world went black for the two boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the mental space M'gann created here is quite similar to the same place she pulled Wally, Artemis and Dick in Bereft. At least that's how I'm imagining it if the description in the chapter was confusing. 
> 
> Anyways, feel free to leave comments down below! I'd love to know how much y'all loved (or hated) this. I'm hoping to update regularly, but no promises about keeping a schedule. I'll post as inspiration strikes me! 
> 
> If y'all are interested, you can also find me on tumblr @paintingwithdarkness


	2. Podded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Find out what's going on in the simulation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter up! Should be a little bit longer than the last one. And now y'all get to find out what happened to our dears Bart and Jaime.

Bart woke up in an unfortunately familiar-looking pod. Behind red-tinted, reinforced glass, he could see the figures of a Reach scientist and a Reach warrior, both beetles engaged in a conversation. He could hear their clicking-like language beyond the barrier in front of him, and the harsh-sounding mix of consonants leaving the aliens’ mouths made Bart wince. The room outside of the pod looked like any other laboratory aboard a Reach ship. Empty pods sat in a row beside Bart’s own, and various carts covered in metal instruments were scattered about the middle of the room. A screen/console setup stood against the wall closest to Bart, and the door- which would lead to his freedom, should he ever get released from his current claustrophobic containment- was across the room. 

 

But he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there. They’d defeated the Reach hadn’t they? He’d come back in time three years ago and he and the team had stopped the Reach invasion. His future wasn’t going to happen. The aliens had gone back into space. So how was it possible that he was aboard a Reach ship?

 

“ _ Maybe I’m dreaming, _ ” Bart thought to himself. “ _ I hate to admit it, but I still do get nightmares occasionally. This is probably just one of those. _ ” But something was off. Usually when he had nightmares, Bart wasn’t aware he was asleep until he was jerked out of the dream, gasping, often times also with tears streaming down his face. Luckily on those occasions, Jaime was only a quick call away, always willing to talk and console him, even at three a.m. in the morning.

 

Speaking of which, if Bart was on a Reach ship, where did that leave his boyfriend? Was Jaime okay? Was Jaime on mode? Did Jaime know where Bart was? Was Jaime looking for him?

 

There were too many unanswered questions. Bart didn’t know where to start. The last thing he could remember was a mission briefing…? That sounded about right. He’d been standing next to Jaime, at the back of the group so that their teammates wouldn’t notice him holding Blue’s hand. They’d only been dating a few months now- four, Bart remembered- and hadn’t outed their relationship to the team yet. M’gann had been prattling on about something important; what it was, Bart couldn’t recall. That was where his memory got fuzzy. He didn’t know how he’d ended up in the pod or why. 

 

What he did know however, was that he had to escape. Dream or no, the Reach was bad news and Bart knew that eventually, they would want to start running their tests, which always included some form of torture or another. He had to get out, and he had to do it now. 

 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room in the pod for movement of any kind. For now, Bart was stuck in a standing-upright position with his arms pinned to his sides like a sardine. And he couldn’t vibrate out of the pod either. To his dismay, there was a cold, metal inhibitor collar clamped around his neck. He was at the Reach’s mercy, just like they wanted him. 

* * *

 

“Woah! What just happened?” Virgil asked.

 

The rest of the team looked at one another in confusion, and then at M’gann. They had all been in the mind space Miss Martian had created for the exercise just a second ago, and then suddenly there was a bright flash and a sound like a rubber band snapping. Now they were standing back in the training room.

 

Miss Martian had both of her hands on her temples, and her eyes were glowing red now instead of green. When the various members of the team looked over, they could see both Blue Beetle and Kid Flash floating about a foot above their respective slabs. 

 

“Kid Flash- Bart- kicked us out,” Miss Martian said. It sounded like she was straining. 

 

Superboy walked over and took her hand. “I thought you said they wouldn’t be able to do that?” 

 

M’gann shook her head. “He shouldn’t have been able to. Bart must have some experience resisting telepaths. It isn’t something that he should be able to do without some kind of previous exposure. I can’t get back in to control the exercise without causing damage, and I’ve lost my grip on Blue. He’s connected to Kid Flash via the first channel I’d established, but I’m blocked from it. I’m only connected to Bart through the second channel that I’d reserved for the team. All I can do is observe. They’re both at the mercy of whatever scenario Kid Flash’s mind comes up with, and he’s likely forgotten that it’s only an exercise.”

 

Superboy growled. “I knew it was a bad idea. It’s the same situation we wound up in the first time M’gann! And we don’t have your uncle J’onn here to help us! How are they supposed to get back out?” 

 

“I didn’t know Kid Flash was this strong,” Miss M defended herself. “I must have run across a memory he didn’t want the team to see. He was protecting himself. It’s his mind. Without me ripping into it to get information, he had enough willpower to force us out. With enough experience, anyone can do the same. I don’t know how Bart knows this, or where he learned it, but he’s shielding his memories. I can’t get back in without tearing into his mind. I’m not doing that. Even if I did, we’d still loose Jaime. Their minds are connected by the first channel I established. Any damage that happens to Bart’s mind will also happen to Jaime’s. They should return to consciousness once they complete their mission, but I didn’t have time to set any parameters before we were kicked out. I don’t know how long this will take.” 

 

Cassie had enough guts to pipe up. “Can we watch? Can you get the team linked back into the second channel with you, so that we can see what’s going on?” 

 

M’gann nodded. “I can get everyone back into the second channel. But we’ll only be watching. I can’t access any of Jaime’s memories, so we can only see things from Bart’s point of view at the moment. Either Jaime is still unconscious in the scenario, or he and Bart have not made contact yet.” 

 

“‘Made contact’?” Brion raised an eyebrow in question, arms crossed over his chest. 

 

“When I created each of your scenarios,” M’gann elaborated, “I drew memories from both yours and your partner’s mind. I found things that you had in common and crafted the scenarios so that there were elements both of you would be familiar with. The familiarity was to help you remember that it was only a training exercise and not real. That was the problem myself and the original team had the first time around. In this case, the memories that were used to create the scenario were only drawn from Bart’s mind. I don’t know whether it’s a recent memory or a memory from before Kid Flash joined the team. He said the time he came from before landing in our present was ruled by the Reach. From what I can see, he’s on a Reach ship. If it’s a memory from the past few years or so, Jaime should also be familiar with it and I may be able to reestablish contact with him. If not, and the memory is one of Bart’s past, they’ll both be stuck with whatever Kid Flash thinks up. We’ll only be able to see things from Jaime’s point of view once Bart finds him in the mindscape he’s created.” 

 

Miss Martian sighed. “I’m going to try to reestablish the mental link amongst the rest of us.” Her eyes flashed white briefly before returning to red. 

 

“ _ Can everyone hear me? _ ” 

 

“ _ Here, _ ” Virgil replied.

 

“ _ Loud and clear, _ ” responded Cassie.

 

“ _ Yes, _ ” from Brion.

 

“ _ I can hear you, Megan. _ ”

 

“ _ Forager and M’gann M’orzz have made mental contact. _ ” 

 

“ _ I can hear you! _ ” Halo. 

 

“ _ I’m here, _ ” Conner’s gruff response was last.

 

M’gann’s shoulders slumped slightly. “ _ I’m going to draw everyone into the second channel now. _ ” 

 

Within a few seconds, everyone was once again inside of the mind space Miss M had previously created. Various images flashed across the rounded walls of the prism-like space, one vision repeating more than any other. There was a red-hue over the image, as though Bart were looking through rose-glass. Immediately, Virgil and Cassie recognized the two figures in the image. 

 

“That’s the Reach scientist,” Virgil pointed out, a hint of disdain in his voice.

 

“And that’s...” Cassie paused. “Red Beetle?” 

 

“We didn’t fight a Red Beetle,” Virgil noted. 

 

“Green’s beetle was destroyed by Black’s and Black’s was destroyed by Jaime’s scarab,” Superboy said. “Both B’arrz O’oom and Black Beetle’s organic host survived.”

 

“Which means it’s one of Bart’s old memories,” M’gann sounded frustrated. “We have to wait until he makes contact with Jaime in order for us to see where he is and what’s going on.” 

* * *

 

Bart looked around the room as best as he could from inside the pod. There didn’t seem to be much lying around that would be able to help him. He was stuck in the pod until he could goad one of the beetles into letting him out. If he could do that, then maybe he had a fighting chance. 

 

He narrowed his gaze in on the metal cart that was closest to him. If he could grab something sharp from it, like the screwdriver, or the scalpel that were sitting on top, then he might be able to do some damage. It would be difficult with the collar around his neck, however. He would need time to hack it. That, at least, he could remember as easily as a nursery rhyme. He and Nathaniel had figured out how to disable inhibitor collars in the time Bart was originally from. If he could accomplish that, then he felt pretty comfortable coming up with an escape plan with his speed at his disposal. 

 

Bart made a humming noise in the back of his throat. His Reach-speak was pretty rusty, but he thought he could remember enough to get across the message he wanted to convey. 

 

Three clicks, a hiss and another click. Bart knew  _ that _ word at least. Despite his horrible pronunciation of the alien-language (human vocal cords were not made to produce those types of sounds) he figured he’d at least get the beetles’ attention. He’d heard the slanderous phrase enough times in the labor camps to know that it could get you a plasma cannon blast straight to the head. 

 

When the Reach warrior whipped around in Bart’s direction, he knew his insult had garnered the response he’d been hoping for. The red-armored beetle marched up to Bart’s pod, slammed the opening mechanism and grabbed Bart by the neck. He hissed a series of consonants into the speedster’s face, most of which was lost on him- something about being disrespectful and lucky the beetle didn’t blow his head off- and then triggered the shock function of the collar around Bart’s neck, causing him to yelp in pain. 

 

When the shock wore off, Bart had about two seconds to think before he knew he would be shoved back into his pod. He couldn’t reach the cart where the screwdriver and scalpel were. His only option was to buy himself time. 

 

Using as much of his strength as he could muster, Bart swung a fist up at the Reach soldier’s face and punched him square in the jaw. Almost immediately, a shooting pain radiated down Bart’s arm to his elbow (punching metal armor with a bare hand was never recommended), but he had managed to catch the soldier off guard. Red Beetle’s grip on him loosened, and the speedster dropped to the floor. 

 

He used the opportunity to seize both the mechanical and surgical tools off of the nearby cart, and brandished one in each hand. The beetle warrior roared, and then charged. 

 

Unfortunately, Bart only knew of two weak spots to target. For the most part, scarab armor was pretty impenetrable. He had learned, in going back to the past, that the beetles could be affected by magic (something he and Nathaniel hadn’t known in the future), but Bart was no magician, nor did he have the means at the current moment to speed dial Zatanna or Dr. Fate. Therefore, he would have to go with what he knew. 

 

Aim for the eyes, Nathaniel had taught him. That was weak spot number one. Number two was the spine where the scarabs attached to their hosts. A direct attack on a warrior’s wings, jetpack, or the scarab itself could be quite damaging, if done right. But it was a hard shot. Beetles rarely left themselves undefended. It was hard to get around a beetle to attack him from behind. Therefore, the eyes were the best option. 

 

When Red got close enough, Bart put all of his force into an upward slash aimed at the beetle’s right eye. There was a gross-sounding pop- similar to the sound a bulb on a strand of Christmas lights makes when it bursts- as the scalpel in Bart’s hand pierced through the thin amber lens and then into the eyeball of the host beneath. A brief twinge of guilt rocked through Bart’s body at having injured the innocent host within the armor, but he didn’t have much time to feel sorry. The scarabs all had healing capabilities. The beetle would only remain blinded for a few minutes at best. Bart needed to use those few precious moments to his advantage. 

 

As Red Beetle yelled in pain and clutched a hand to his injured eye, Bart made a beeline for the scientist that had been previously forgotten. Rounding on the hooded figure, Bart managed to restrain the pink alien, holding her arms in a tight grip behind her back and pressing the tip of the scalpel to her neck with his other hand. 

 

“Do anything I don’t like,” Bart threatened, “and I’ll kill her.”

 

Red Beetle looked up at Bart. There was blood running down the beetle’s right cheek, but it appeared as though his injury had already been healed by the scarab. Red’s eyes both narrowed and then he let out a deep, ugly laugh.

 

“Meat always bluffs. Your kind never has the guts,” the Reach warrior responded.

 

Bart grit his teeth. He hated doing this, but he had to prove he was serious. Pressing just a bit deeper into the scientist’s neck with the scalpel drew a bead of blood to the surface of the alien’s blue-tinted skin. 

 

Red laughed again. “You may be an exception to the rule,” he allowed, “but there are plenty more scientists where she comes from. She knew the risks of her position, and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, as are all servants of the Reach.” The beetle fired up his plasma cannon, the appendage glowing with a dangerous fuchsia hue. 

 

Bart prepared to dodge. Even with an inhibitor collar on masking his speed, he could still be fast, lithe and agile when he needed to be. As soon as he heard the tell-tale whine of the blast’s discharge, Bart leaped sideways, narrowly dodging the beam of highly charged molecules. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the scientist, and Bart heard her screech as she was hit with the full power of the blast. 

 

“MEAT!” Red Beetle’s voice boomed throughout the cabin. He let off another shot, this time missing Bart by less than a hair. In fact, Bart could actually feel the tingling sensation of where all of the hair had been burned off of his arm. So much for that sleeve of his uniform. He supposed he should have been lucky the material hadn’t caught on fire. 

 

The beetle advanced on him. Quickly, Bart dove behind one of the metal carts lying about the room to take refuge. Not that it offered much shelter. The cart would be about as effective against Red Beetle’s plasma cannon as a toothpick would be to cut a steak. 

 

“You are making this more unreasonably difficult than it has to be,” Red Beetle said. “If you refuse to cooperate, I will order for that one you call your mate to be disposed of.” 

 

Bart paused momentarily. “Jaime?” he couldn’t help asking.

 

“Yes,” Red purred. Bart could practically  _ feel _ the smirk on the beetle’s face. “The Reach traitor Jaime Reyes set the invasion back by nearly a decade. The only reason we have not killed him, or  _ you _ for that matter, is because the scarab, Khaji Da, has deemed both of you… useful.”

 

Bart was confused. Was Jaime on mode? How else would the Reach have gotten Khaji Da’s opinion? Unless they had… But then Jaime would be dead. You couldn’t remove the scarab from a human host without killing them. Red had said Jaime was alive. Which meant they couldn’t have removed the scarb. Could they?

 

Red Beetle seemed to have picked up on Bart’s confusion because that terrible grating laugh came out again. “Yes, meat. The scarab soldier Khaji Da was removed from the organic host Jaime Reyes. A new host was found for the scarab after a reboot was performed to fix the damage. Reyes is currently in stasis to preserve his life. What little he has left anyway,” the beetle finished with a sneer. 

 

Good news: Jaime was alive, and he was on this ship. Bad news? Jaime didn’t have his scarab anymore, and Bart wasn’t sure he could actually escape from Red Beetle long enough to go look for Jaime. He needed a plan. 

 

“I’ll cooperate on one condition,” Bart said. Cautiously, he stood up from behind the metal cart he’d been sheltering behind. He lifted his hands into the classic ‘I come unarmed’ position, and then dropped the scalpel to the floor where Red Beetle could see it. “I need to see Jaime. I can’t take you at your word that he’s alive. I need first hand proof.”

 

Red Beetle laughed. “And if I refuse to meet your condition, meat?” He still had the plasma cannon aimed at the speedster’s head.

 

Bart felt his brows tighten into a deep line and a frown come over his lips. “Then I’ll be sure I poke out both of your eyes next time instead of just the one.” 

 

Red Beetle growled, but deactivated the plasma cannon none-the-less. “And if I take you to see Jaime Reyes, you will surrender and be returned to your pod without protest?” The beetle raised his eyebrows skeptically. 

 

Bart nodded. “Those are my terms.” 

 

“Very well. I shall take you to see your mate.” Beetle walked over to the door that Bart had first spotted from his pod and hit the opening mechanism, causing the metal slats to slide up and reveal the hallway outside. 

 

“Come, meat.” Red Beetle gestured for Bart to follow him before stepping out of the laboratory. “Any false moves and I will have both you and Jaime Reyes terminated.” 

 

Obediently, Bart did as he was told. There was no way he would ever let the Reach push him around- he was going to fight against the Reach with his dying breath- but he did not want to give Red Beetle any excuse to follow through with his threat to harm and/or kill his boyfriend. For now, he would comply. 

 

They took a few turns down different hallways aboard the ship- Bart counted two lefts, a right and then another left- before they ended up in front of a second metal door. Red paused for a moment before triggering the opener. “He is inside. But be warned. Should Jaime Reyes exit the stasis pod, he will die. Any breach, break or damage done to the pod puts his life at risk.” 

 

Bart gulped and then nodded. Red opened the door. 

 

Immediately, Bart’s green eyes took in the scene before him. It was another lab, though this one had more of a meat locker feel to it than anything else. The room was freezing. At one end was a computer/screen setup, very similar to the one that had been in the lab Bart and Red Beetle had just come from. From what information Bart had gathered about the Reach from his thirteen years of growing up under alien rule in the future, and the few months he had spent in the present fighting said extraterrestrial bugs, most of their culture revolved around technology. At the other end of the room sat a single pod, the glass paneling on the front coated in a thin sheet of ice. Slowly, Bart approached it. 

 

He could feel his legs shaking. If Jaime really was behind that glass… Bart took a deep breath, the cold air entering his lungs and chilling him from the inside out. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to the glass and swiped the frost away. 

 

A gasp tumbled unbidden from his lips, and he stumbled a few paces back. He would recognize the face on the other side of the glass anywhere. The long, dark lashes sweeping down over full, tanned cheekbones, the sloping nose, angular, strong chin and those narrow, often chapped lips, which were always so soft when they kissed were as familiar to Bart as his own features. Jaime’s usually dark chocolate eyes were closed and his thick, black brows drawn together as if he were in a suspended state of pain. It made Bart’s heart hurt. 

 

“You said they removed the scarab?” Bart turned towards Red Beetle who had been observing the speedster from a few feet across the room.

 

“Yes,” Red Beetle responded. “The stasis pod is sustaining his lifeforce. Reach soldier Khaji Da has been assigned a new host.” 

 

Bart hesitated a moment before asking, “Can I see him? Khaji Da, I mean.” Bart shifted his gaze back to the pod. He knew his boyfriend and the scarab had formed a close relationship of their own, and that Khaji Da was very important to Jaime. Jaime had once told Bart that the scarab had its own feelings and emotions, and that he would feel lost without Khaji’s monotone voice in his head after having heard it for so long now. Khaji had become a constant companion for Jaime, and Bart knew that he would be devastated to find out the scarab had been removed from its residence between his shoulder blades. 

 

“An odd request.” Red’s voice snapped Bart’s attention back to him. 

 

“Khaji Da was… is,” Bart corrected himself, “important to Jaime.” 

 

Red sighed. “Very well. I trust you will not make any trouble while I search for Blue Beetle. After all,” a cruel grin came over the beetle’s armored face, white teeth shining erily against the black faceplate, “removing your mate from his pod would only ensure a quick death, and if you do attempt to make an escape in my absence, I will personally execute Jaime Reyes myself when I return.” 

 

Bart gulped nervously, but nodded. 

 

Seemingly satisfied his threat had done the job, Red Beetle turned away from the speedster and exited the laboratory, leaving Bart alone with the stasis pod. 

 

“This is my fault,” Bart said. He placed both of his hands up to the chilled glass of the pod so that they were framing Jaime’s frozen face. “I couldn’t save you.” A pained laugh tumbled from his lips. “I have a really stupid idea, Blue. I’m hoping it’ll save us both. If not…” The laugh bubbled into a sob that caught in Bart’s throat. He was truly scared for Jaime’s well-being as well as his own. If things didn’t go exactly according to Bart’s plan… “at least we’ll be able to see each other again in the afterlife.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments down below! 
> 
> My tumblr is @paintingwithdarkness


	3. Rescue Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart has a risky plan to save himself and Jaime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I struggled with writing this chapter quite a bit. I apologize if it sounds a little choppy. I ended up rewriting several parts of it over and over again because I did not like how they sounded the first time. I think I have gotten it to a decent point. Originally, this chapter was very long (about the length of three chapters combined), so I ended up cutting it in half. Luckily for y'all that means chapter 4 should be up shortly, so keep your eyes out for that. 
> 
> Anyway, I think I've rambled long enough at this point. Let me know what you think of this chapter down in the comments. I love seeing your guys' reactions and theories to what I write.

The team stood in shocked silence. They had just witnessed Bart stab Red Beetle and then threaten the Reach scientist. Usually the speedster was carefree and lighthearted. He never failed to make any of them feel better on a down day, and was typically one of the most cheerful people on the team. Obviously Bart had down days every once in awhile-  _ everyone _ did- but he tended to keep to himself and despite popular belief, clammed up when anyone asked him if he wanted to talk about what was bothering him or his feelings. The only one anyone had ever really seen Bart confide in was Jaime. Seeing Bart so… intense… was a shock to say the least.

 

“Did you know he was that… rough?” Cassie braved the silence first. 

 

The rest of the team hesitated to answer. Most of them didn’t know what to think. What they had just witnessed was not what they had come to expect from the auburn-haired speedster at all. Granted, Brion, Violet and Forager had not known Bart all that long, but their first impressions of him had been that he was a pretty laid-back and friendly guy. It was shocking to see Bart exhibit behaviors that displayed the opposite.

 

After a few moments, M’gann finally said, “There’s a lot about Bart’s past he hasn’t shared. He used his relations to Barry and Iris to gain the team’s trust. We didn’t see any reason to question him beyond that. He had just helped to save the Flash’s life. Until the Reach came to earth, no one knew that there was anything wrong with Bart’s time. He’d originally told everyone he was just a tourist visiting from the future. In reality, he’d spent thirteen years in a world ruled by the Reach. Beyond that, he’s never given any details. I don’t think any of us have asked.” 

 

Guilty looks took over Cassie, Virgil and Traci’s faces. Wonder Girl and Static had been on the team about as long as Bart had, and neither one of them had ever really had a heart-to-heart with him. Usually, it was just passing remarks, such as the occasional “hey, what’s up?” or a compliment after a successful mission. As for Traci, though she was new to the team, she tended to hang around both Jaime and Bart, yet it was clear that she was still the ‘new’ friend. The boys had been through things she’d only  _ heard _ about regarding the invasion, and was now finally  _ seeing _ for the first time via the training exercise. Plus, if she was being honest, she’d always been more interested in Jaime than Bart to begin with. She mostly only hung out around Bart because he was always with Jaime. 

 

And speaking of, they still hadn’t seen any sign of Blue yet. M’gann had said that Bart would need to make contact with him in order for the team to see what was going on on Jaime’s end of the scenario. No one yet knew the full scope of what Bart’s mind had created, which meant that Jaime could be anywhere. Miss M had suggested that he may be unconscious, but it was clear that some members of the team were thinking along much darker lines. It was easy to blow things out of proportion or cling to extremes when uncertainty was brought into a situation. From what they had already seen of Bart, the mindscape that the speedster had created was evidently not a good one. 

 

“You are making this more unreasonably difficult than it has to be.” Red Beetle’s bulky figure now filled all of the “screens” in M’gann’s mindspace. “If you refuse to cooperate, I will order for that one you call your mate to be disposed of.”

 

A second ripple of confusion spread throughout the team. 

 

“‘Mate’?” Brion questioned. 

 

Everyone looked at one another to determine whether or not anyone knew what Red Beetle was talking about. When no one had anything to offer, Traci said, “I wasn’t aware that Bart had a girlfriend.” 

 

Cassie had her blonde brows raised in surprise. “I don’t think any of us knew.”

 

Everyone shook their heads. Bart having a girlfriend was new information. There was now the desire to find out who Red Beetle was talking about. Who was Bart’s supposed ‘mate’? Was it anyone they knew? Why had Bart never told them he had a girlfriend? 

 

“Jaime?” Bart’s hesitant response only caused more wrinkled brows. Surely Red Beetle had not insinuated that Jaime was Bart’s mate.

 

Traci laughed. “No way,” she said when she saw the looks on everyone’s faces. “They’re close, but Jaime and Bart are  _ not _ dating. Trust me. Red Beetle must be using ‘mate’ in the friends type of way.” 

 

It appeared as though most of the team did not know what to make of Bart and Red’s conversation or Traci’s response. Red Beetle had mentioned Bart having a mate, and the first name that had come out of Bart’s mouth had been Jaime’s. That would have been enough to convince the young heroes he and Jaime were a couple, but no one on the team had seen any indication that the speedster and Blue were any more to each other than close friends. Plus, Traci’s opinion was biased. Sure, she hung around a lot with the two boys, but it was abundantly clear to EVERYONE on the team that she had a major crush on Jaime. And, despite her persistent flirting with him, it was also clear that Jaime was a) not interested, or b) oblivious to her advances. Regardless, everyone was eager to get answers. Was Bart’s mysterious mate actually Jaime or someone else?

 

Unfortunately, in the midst of their own conversation, the team had missed a majority of Bart and Red Beetle’s, which could have potentially given them the answer they were looking for. Red Beetle was now leading Bart down a hallway aboard the ship. 

 

“He is inside,” Red said when he and Bart had apparently reached their destination. “But be warned. Should Jaime Reyes exit the stasis pod, he will die. Any breach, break or damage done to the pod puts his life at risk.” 

 

The team watched as Bart nodded and then Red Beetle opened the door. They were shocked to see that it was another lab; one which looked as though Captain Cold, or perhaps Killer Frost had blasted with their cryonic powers. Despite not being the ones in the simulation, seeing the laboratory gave everyone on the team the chills; in more ways than one.

 

Slowly, Bart shuffled into the room. He took a moment to look around, and then something seemed to catch his attention. When it was clear that Bart was moving towards a pod against the far wall, Conner let out a growl. 

 

“It’s just like Cadmus.” The Kryptonian’s hands were clenched into fists by his sides. Seeing the frozen pod sitting there in the lab reminded him of Project Match. Conner had originally tried to free the older Superman clone when he’d found him in a hidden lab in the research facility amongst other previously abandoned projects. After a fight with his full-Kryptonian brother however, Conner had ultimately left the uncontrollable clone behind for everyone’s safety. 

 

M’gann gave her fiancé an understanding smile. She was really the only one who knew the details about Superboy’s origin. All of the younger members of the team knew that Kon-El was a clone of Superman, but had likely not heard about Cadmus or why Conner had such a great hate for the genetics research facility. 

 

Gently, M’gann laid her hand over Conner’s to help ground him. It took a few moments, but eventually the Kryptonian relaxed again. When both of them turned back to the “screens”, Bart had his hand resting on the glass panel of the pod.

 

The team watched on with bated breath. Whatever, or rather  _ whoever _ was on the other side of the glass was undoubtedly important. Most likely, it was the mate of Bart’s that Red Beetle had mentioned. They were about to find out who was significant enough to Bart that Red Beetle’s threat had garnered Bart’s full cooperation. 

 

The movement of his gloved hand across the paneling was slow, but when the frost cleared, the speedster was not the only one who gasped in horror. 

 

“I believe we now know where Blue Beetle is.”

* * *

“If Blue catches you, you’re good as dead,” Bart whispered to himself. He had the wiring panel open on the inhibitor collar clasped around his neck. Unknown to Red Beetle, he had managed to smuggle the screwdriver he’d originally snagged in the first lab into the compartment of his glove- that is, the one that hadn’t been burned off by Red’s plasma cannon- and was now using it to disconnect the wires controlling the device. 

“Hope Flash comes to save you, dressed in red.” Bart used the sharp point of the Phillips head screwdriver to cut through the red wire on the collar. Already, he had cut the blue, and had six more left to go before the collar would be nonfunctional. 

“Purple was the color of the Tornado Twins, til hope was lost and the Reach claimed the win.” Luckily, the glass paneling on the pod Jaime was trapped in was reflective. Bart needed to make sure he was disconnecting the wires in the correct order, otherwise he would be dead before he could get the thing off. Being able to see what color wires he was cutting was essential. Unfortunately, the Reach was smart enough to know that the people they put the collars on would try to hack them, and had programmed in a self-destruct function. There was only one safe way to get the collars off without having a Reach soldier personally remove it for you. 

“Resistance flags burned white through the ash. Everyone hoping the mode could be crashed.” Back in Bart’s own time, he and Nathaniel had come up with a rhyme to use when hacking the inhibitor collars. Thankfully, it always worked. All collars had the same eight wires that could be cut in a very specific order to deactivate the device. The order was always the same. 

“But plasma cannon blasts turned flesh to black, and inhibitor collars got harder to hack.” Bart grimaced. The reflection cast by the pod’s glass made it difficult to see exactly what he was doing. This part was crucial. He knew that there were two black wires. In the original models of the collars, there had only been one black wire. People had figured out how to hack the collars in the early days of the labor camps during Bart’s time. Keeping the color order of the wires the same in each model had made it easy. Back in those days, people escaped the camps all the time, and the Resistance movement was strong. But the Reach was smart. They’d invented a second collar model. This one was completely the same as the first model had been, with one exception: a second black wire. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that had been escaping the camps before were now ending up dead due to failed attempts at hacking the new collars. Most had assumed that one of the black wires was a dud and had been taking the fifty-fifty chance of choosing the right wire to cut. All those who had ended up dead had just chosen the wrong wire. Nathaniel was the one who had figured out that  _ both _ black wires had to be cut at the same time in order to avoid death by electrocution. 

“Long live the heroes of the next generation: Kid Flash in yellow; Impulse in carnation.” A bitter laugh tumbled from Bart’s lips. All of the heroes he’d mentioned thus far were dead, or had been dead in his own time. Neutron had killed Barry Allen, the Flash, in Bart’s time. The Tornado Twins, Bart’s father and aunt, had been executed along with the other Resistance leaders. Wally West, Kid Flash, had actually been alive in Bart’s future. That was one thing he had ruined in going to the past. Bart had killed his cousin. And now Impulse, the identity Bart had constructed for himself, was dead too. Bart had taken Wally’s alias after his death to honor his memory. At least, that was what everyone else said. But Bart didn’t feel the same. It was his fault that Wally was now dead. He was unworthy of the title of Kid Flash. He had tampered with time, and Wally’s life had been the price. 

“Only one chance to wipe the timeline clean and return a ruined world to its original state of green.” Bart cut the last wire. 

* * *

 

“So Bart’s mate… is Jaime.” 

Everyone on the team was in an equal amount of bewilderment. There was no mistaking that it was Jaime behind the glass. And to his credit, Bart looked devastated. Could it be possible that the two were actually dating? Or was Bart’s concern just that of a friend? 

“You said they removed the scarab?” 

Red Beetle responded with the affirmative. “Yes. The stasis pod is sustaining his lifeforce. Reach soldier Khaji Da has been assigned a new host.” 

“Khaji Da?” This time it was Halo, surprisingly, that had spoken up. 

“I’m guessing that’s the name of Jaime’s scarab,” Conner said. “He uh, told me it was sentient once. That it talks to him. Compared it to Jiminy Cricket.” 

Cassie, Virgil and M’gann had their brows raised in one part amusement, and two parts befuddlement, trying to imagine the fictional character giving them advice about how to fight. Jaime was constantly muttering such strange, and frankly concerning, things out loud to himself. Or rather to the scarab. The team understood that now. But none of them could picture the tophat wearing bug giving them such violent advice. Maybe beetles just had touchier tempers than crickets?

“Can I see him? Khaji Da, I mean?” The repetition of the scarab’s name snapped everyone out of their musings. 

“But why would he want to see the scarab?” Cassie asked. “Wasn’t the point of the Reach removing it from Jaime to fix it?” 

“From my understanding,” M’gann started, “the scarab couldn’t be removed from Jaime because it would kill him. During the invasion here on earth, Atom and Bumblebee tried to remove it upon Jaime’s request. Obviously they were unsuccessful. In the mindscape that Bart’s created however, the Reach has removed this ‘Khaji Da’, and Jaime is only alive because he’s in the pod. It’s clear from Bart’s reaction that he and Jaime are… close. Perhaps he associates the scarab with Jaime and wants to see it for sentimental purposes.” 

Traci added her own input. “That doesn’t make any sense. Bart and Jaime are only friends. They’d have told me if they were dating. I’m their friend.” 

“We’re  _ all _ Bart and Jaime’s friends,” Cassie interjected, cutting the magic-user off. 

Traci held her hands up in defense. “Yeah, but we hang out all the time. I think I would have spotted something if they were together, but I haven’t. So it doesn’t make any sense why Bart would want to see the scarab. If what Megan said about Bart growing up in a Reach-ruled world is true, then he should be terrified to see Khaji Da.” 

The rest of the team either had nothing to say or shrugged in response. Regardless of Bart and Jaime’s relationship status, it was unclear why Bart wanted to see the scarab. Traci had been right on the count that Bart should be terrified. Virgil, Cassie, M’gann and Conner had all seen what the Reach was capable of firsthand. The scarab warriors were ruthless, and if Jaime’s had been rebooted, it was likely the new Blue Beetle would be just as violent. 

As if to support the theory, the team watched Red Beetle threaten Bart before leaving the lab to search for the new Blue Beetle and fulfill the speedster’s request. If Bart wanted to make an escape, he had the perfect opportunity, but he would risk leaving Jaime behind, and his life would be forfeit. The team could feel the pressure of the decision weighing on Bart’s shoulders. Self preservation versus loyalty. Everyone was curious to see which option he would choose. 

* * *

 

The auburn-haired teen waited patiently for Red Beetle to return to the lab with the new Blue Beetle. He had successfully hacked the inhibitor collar around his neck without electrocuting himself. He was itching to get the collar off completely, but he had to keep up the ruse. Once he’d finished cutting all of the wires, Bart had replaced the panel on the collar and hidden the screwdriver back in the compartment of his remaining glove. He did not want either of the Beetles to know that he had a potential weapon to use against them. For now, his strategy to save both himself and his boyfriend was going as planned.

For the second phase to work, he needed Blue Beetle, or rather Khaji Da to be present. Bart had based phase two off of a hunch, which he prayed he was right about. After talking to Jaime about the scarab, which actually came up more frequently in their conversations than one would have thought, Bart figured he knew the beetle well enough to predict how it would respond to what he was about to do. If Bart’s assumptions weren’t correct and Khaji Da did not give Bart the expected reaction, both he and Jaime would be dead within seconds. 

Bart placed both of his hands on the glass panel of the pod so that they framed Jaime’s face. He wished he could touch his boyfriend skin-on-skin for the reassurance that Jaime really was there and not just a cruel trick by the Reach. He wanted to use his fingers to smooth out the pained lines between Jaime’s dark eyebrows, and run them through his short-cropped hair, down to the nape of Jaime’s neck where he always got goosebumps. Bart wanted to hold Jaime’s hand and feel the warmth and the rough calluses Jaime had developed on his palm from helping his dad in the family auto shop. He wanted to press the heels of his hands into the firm muscles of Jaime’s chest for balance as he raised himself up on his toes to kiss him. He needed to feel Jaime’s fingers under his chin, gently tipping his head up so that their lips could meet, or cupping his face, round the corners of his jaw, so that the tips of his fingers buried in the hair that curled around his ears. He needed to feel Jaime’s warm palms against his waist as he pulled Bart in closer, and then against the small of his back once Jaime finally got him where he wanted him. Bart needed Jaime to do that thumb swipe thing he always did across the swell of his cheek when they finally pulled away from the kiss and Jaime would whisper “Te amo,” before giving him a soft smile. 

“Bartholomew Allen.” The sound of the Beetle’s monotone voice shouldn’t have been as reassuring to hear as it was. 

“Khaji,” Bart breathed, turning from the pod to see the two Reach warriors that had just entered the room. Red Beetle had returned and was standing by the door to the lab, as if he were guarding it. Blue Beetle- Khaji Da- was standing a few feet to Red’s right, his amber eyes transfixed on both Bart and the pod. 

Slowly, Bart approached the familiar, yet foreign blue-armored figure. Khaji Da’s new host was bigger than Jaime in all respects. The bulkier build and the height reminded Bart of the Big Bad Blue that had reigned during his own time period. He’d always assumed it was Jaime under the armor- at least, that was what he’d been led to believe, having met Jaime in the past and discovering he was the current Blue Beetle. He’d never considered that the Blue from the future could have been anyone else. He’d never seen below the armor of Bad Blue, so he didn’t know for sure whether or not his boyfriend had been the puppet the Reach had used to enslave his world, or if it had been some other poor meatbag under the armor instead. All he’d known before using the time machine was that he had to stop whoever it was that had the scarab from taking over, and he’d been willing to use any means necessary to accomplish that goal. 

“Khaji Da…” Hesitantly, Bart raised his arm to touch the beetle’s armored shoulder. Khaji Da let him. 

“Jaime-” Bart began, but Khaji Da cut him off. 

“Jaime Reyes is no longer my host.” He stepped back so that Bart’s arm fell limply to his side. 

“But-” Again Bart was interrupted.

“Mission protocols dictated that I be removed from Jaime Reyes for repairs. His life has been preserved upon my request. You are welcome.” 

Bart’s green gaze shifted from Khaji Da back to the pod. Jaime was alive, but he wasn’t  _ living _ . How long had he been trapped in that pod? Bart didn’t know how much time had passed. He didn’t even know how the Reach had gotten back to Earth. As far as he knew, the Green Lantern Corps had chased them half-way across the galaxy. They shouldn’t have been able to return. They shouldn’t have been able to do this… this terrible thing to his boyfriend. 

Bart walked back over to the stasis pod. It was now or never. 

Taking a deep breath, Bart opened the compartment of his glove. Immediately, he could hear both beetles scrambling behind him. He had the tip of the screwdriver poised above the glass of Jaime’s pod. Another deep breath, and then he stabbed downwards, shattering the glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, pleeeeeeeease leave comments. Questions, theories, reactions, compliments and criticisms are all welcome. 
> 
> My tumblr is @paintingwithdarkness   
> Feel free to drop by and give me a follow or leave me a message. I promise I'll reply!


	4. Seeing Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart fights for not only his own life, but Jaime's as well. Between his own anger, Red Beetle's armor, and the blood spilling across the floor, Bart's seen enough of the color red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FAIR WARNING: this chapter contains a great deal of angst, violence and blood. If any of these things bother you, I would advise skipping. 
> 
> If not, please enjoy your second update in less than 24 hours! This chapter was originally part of chapter three, however, due to its length, I have decided that it serves well as its own chapter. Will Bart's plan to save Jaime work? Read to find out!

_ “Should Jaime Reyes exit the stasis pod, he will die. Any breach, break or damage done to the pod puts his life at risk.” _ That was what Red Beetle had told him. 

 

Bart watched as shattered glass tumbled to the floor in slow-motion. Due to his speed-enhanced perception, one second of real-time could seem like hours in speedster-time. The world around Bart looked like a still-frame from a movie he’d pressed pause on. Jaime’s body was suspended mid-fall, following after the sparkling shards. Bart reached his arms out to catch him. 

 

As soon as Jaime made contact with Bart, the world returned to real time. Red Beetle was by his side in an instant, plasma cannon humming, pressed right up against his temple. 

 

“Foolish meat,” Red Beetle’s grating laugh hit Bart’s ears like nails on a chalkboard. “I warned you what would happen if any damage came to the stasis pod. You’ve killed him.”

 

‘ _ Not yet, _ ’ Bart thought. It was time to put his theory to the test. 

 

“KHAJI DA!” Bart screamed. “Save him!” 

 

He turned to look in Blue Beetle’s direction, but Khaji Da remained still. Unlike Red, he had not raced to Bart’s side upon the pod’s breech. He was simply motionless, exactly where he had been since first entering the room. 

 

“SAVE HIM!” Bart begged again. He couldn’t have been wrong. Khaji Da could save him. The beetles had healing capabilities in order to help them maintain their mortal hosts. Bart had been betting on Khaji Da saving Jaime.  _ He needed Khaji Da to move! _ Jaime was running out of time. 

 

“KHAJI DA!  _ DO SOMETHING! _ ” Bart could feel himself getting hysterical. Why wasn’t Khaji Da doing anything? Jaime was going to die if Blue Beetle didn’t help him. 

 

Bart risked a glance down at the body in his arms. Immediately, a spike of horror lanced through him. Where the scarab should have been on Jaime’s back was a gaping, bloody hole. It looked as though Khaji Da had been forcibly ripped from his spine. Red was pouring in rivulets from the wound, painting lines down Jaime’s tanned skin and staining Bart’s glove and other pale hand maroon. He was losing too much blood. 

 

Bart sank to his knees, clutching Jaime to himself like a lifeline; like Bart could somehow keep him alive by proximity alone. The stasis pod must have been preventing the bleeding. But now that Jaime was no longer in the pod, the effects of whatever the Reach had done to him to remove the scarab were draining his life away. 

 

Bart couldn’t be responsible for killing his boyfriend. His plan had all been based on Khaji Da stepping in to save Jaime. His hunch couldn’t be wrong. Jaime had told him that he and Khaji Da were partners. Jaime had called Khaji Da his friend. He’d said Khaji Da cared about him. That Khaji Da’s connection to him was what allowed the scarab to  _ feel _ things for the first time; to gain sentience. Even on mode, Khaji couldn’t have forgotten about all of those things. 

 

“Don’t let him die!” Bart sobbed. He could feel tears running down his cheeks, blurring his vision. He was panicking. He couldn’t be wrong. If he was wrong, that meant Jaime would really die. 

 

“Too late for that, meat!” Red Beetle’s cruel laugh sliced the air before Bart was shoved back from his dying boyfriend by the plasma cannon. “Jaime Reyes has been in cardiac arrest for fourteen seconds.” 

 

Bart shook his head, tears flying off the tip of his chin from the motion. He’d been fairly confident that Khaji Da would have stepped in by now. That was the only reason he’d risked Jaime’s life to begin with. He wouldn’t have broken the pod if he’d known Khaji Da wouldn’t help. 

 

He tried crawling back to Jaime, who was now face-down on the floor. A pool of blood had formed underneath him, and still more was flowing from the wound between his shoulders. Bart could feel his hands and knees slipping on the strange alien floor of the lab. He was just as covered in blood as Jaime was himself. 

 

When he did eventually make it close enough to his boyfriend to lay a hand on his head; to stroke his fingers through Jaime’s dampened hair, Red swatted Bart back with the plasma cannon and then aimed it at the speedster’s chest in warning. 

 

“He is  _ dead _ . You killed your mate, Bartholomew Allen. You did not heed my warning, and now you suffer the consequence.” 

 

“NO!” Bart screamed. “KHAJI DA  **_HELP HIM!_ ** ” 

 

Khaji Da finally took a step forward. “Apologies, Bartholomew. Medical resources are reserved for my host. I cannot save Jaime Reyes.” 

 

Bart tried to climb to his feet. He wanted to get to Jaime. He needed to do something. Khaji Da wasn’t going to help him. He had been wrong. 

 

“Meat!” Red Beetle warned. The plasma cannon hummed dangerously, glowing with fuchsia light. 

 

Bart felt helpless. He’d risked Jaime’s life on a hunch, and he’d been wrong. Khaji Da wasn’t going to save him.

 

All the fight flew out of Bart and he collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He’d killed his boyfriend. 

 

“Just k-kill m-me!” Bart cried, hiccuping on the consonants. If Jaime was dead, there was no point for him to fight anymore. 

 

He cast an accusatory look at Khaji Da, anger, betrayal and despair burning in his jade eyes. “He was your friend!” Bart spat. “Your partner! He freed you from the Reach, and this is how you’re repaying him?! By letting him die?!” 

 

Khaji Da blinked back at Bart. The blue-armored beetle took a few more steps forward until he was standing next to Jaime’s prone body. 

 

“Medical scans indicate that Jaime Reyes has been deceased for approximately two minutes and twelve seconds.” 

 

“Then do something about it!” Bart growled. 

 

Khaji Da reached forward for Jaime. 

 

“ _ Khaji Da _ , the boy is  _ dead _ ,” Red Beetle said sternly. “Take the meat back to its pod. He has accomplished nothing with this visit aside from causing himself anguish. I will deal with Reyes’ body.” 

 

Khaji Da continued to reach towards Jaime. Just as his armored hand was about to touch a tan, blood-covered shoulder, Red Beetle’s own hand shot out to catch Khaji’s wrist. 

 

“Protocols dictate that medical supplies are reserved for  _ current _ organic hosts. Jaime Reyes is dead. His body will be disposed of. He is no longer of use.” 

 

Khaji Da looked at Bart. “Then it is fortunate neither myself or Bartholomew are programmed to follow protocol.” 

 

Bart immediately got the hint. Using his superspeed, he leaped for Red Beetle, knocking him back from both Khaji Da and Jaime. Khaji Da was smarter than Bart had given him credit for. 

 

“Meat!” Red Beetle screeched. “How did you deactivate your inhibitor collar? Only a Reach soldier can remove the device without killing the wearer.” 

 

Bart smirked and held up the screwdriver. “I hacked it. Doi.” 

 

Red Beetle growled and charged at him. Bart avoided easily now that he had his powers back. 

 

“Missed me!” the speedster taunted. “Guess your scarab can’t process as fast as Khaji. Even he was able to connect the dots.” 

 

A pink-colored plasma cannon blast sailed across the room, charring a mark on the wall where Bart’s head had been a millisecond before. “Wow, Red! They sure don’t make scarabs like they used to. Even Black Beetle could have hit me with that!” 

 

Bart zipped around the room, avoiding more blasts, staples and sonic attacks. He needed to keep Red Beetle’s attention solely on him so that Khaji Da could focus on Jaime. He was the only hope Bart had at saving his boyfriend. Insulting Red Beetle was only an added benefit. 

 

“Hey Red, mind if I tighten up the loose screws in your head? I think they’re what’s making you want to kill me. I’ve got the right tool for the job!” Bart called out as he ran past the enraged beetle, waving the screwdriver. 

 

“Recommended tactic: perforate ocular lens with Philips screwdriver,” Khaji Da offered helpfully. When Bart spared a glance over at Blue Beetle, he saw that one of his hands was poised over the hole in Jaime’s back. There appeared to be something small in his palm. What it was, Bart couldn’t exactly tell, running as fast as he was, but the object appeared to be moving. 

 

Bart lunged at Red Beetle after passing him again, deciding to take Khaji Da’s advice. Once the screwdriver got into range however, Red grabbed Bart by the wrist, stopping his attack. “You are  _ dead,  _ meat.” 

 

Bart couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face. Here he was, staring down a being with the power and drive to actually terminate his life, and he was smiling. “Dead meat? Really? That’s the best you could do?” Bart made a humming noise and then followed it up with three clicks, a hiss and a final click. 

 

Red Beetle’s face contorted into a mask of fury. The armor around the hand that was not currently keeping Bart hostage shifted into a plasma cannon. The beetle hissed a single word in Reach, lifted the cannon up to the side of Bart’s head and fired. 

 

Luckily, Bart had seen it coming and vibrated out of Red Beetle’s grip at the last moment to avoid having his brains blasted out. Both he and Red looked at the wall the blast had hit. There was now a smoking crater in the metal. 

 

“My diagnosis for your anger is still those loose screws,” Bart said, tone nonchalant, when the warrior turned from the wall to look back in his direction. “You really should let me...  _ help _ .” Bart grunted as he shoved the screwdriver through Red Beetle’s left eye. In the second that it took for him to register first the shock of being stabbed, and then the pain, Bart had already withdrawn the pointy tool and pierced Red’s right eye as well. 

 

“There, isn’t that much better?” Bart asked right before Red Beetle howled in pain. 

 

The warrior brought both hands up to his face to cover his bleeding eyes. Blinding Red had given Bart an advantage. Quickly, he rounded on the Reach soldier and used the screwdriver to do as much damage as he could to the scarab attached to his back. He knew from some of his more… intimate… moments with Jaime that the area directly around the scarab was especially sensitive, and aimed for there. Whenever he got in a lucky shot and actually managed to pierce through the tough, scarlet carapace, he was rewarded with a pained scream. 

 

“How’s it coming?” Bart managed to yell at Khaji Da over the violence he was currently inflicting. 

 

“Initiating resuscitation protocols,” Bart got back in response. “Heartbeat- error: asystole. Administering epinephrine.” Khaji Da’s response was more of what Bart would have expected out of a robot than English. He had Jaime on his back now, and one of his hands was resting just over Jaime’s right pec, the other over the ribs on Jaime’s left side. “Assessing cardiac rhythm: heartbeat- error: asystole. Administering epinephrine.” 

 

Khaji Da continued through a few cycles before he apparently found a shockable rhythm. “Heartbeat- error: ventricular fibrillation. Initiating defibrillation: 300 joules.” 

 

Bart didn’t have much time to watch Khaji Da, as he was more focused on dealing damage to Red Beetle. He had to keep the beetle in a perpetual state of pain. By attacking Red’s scarab directly, Bart was slowing down the healing process, but Red Beetle was recovering none-the-less. He had to keep creating new injuries to avoid giving the soldier a chance to turn the tables and attack. If he kept Red Beetle on the defensive, Bart had a chance. 

 

“Assessing cardiac rhythm: heartbeat- normal sinus rhythm. Steady pulse. Pupil response: non indicative of damage due to cerebral hypoxia. Jaime Reyes is alive.”  

 

Overhearing that made Bart let out a sigh of relief. Khaji had done it. Jaime was okay. 

 

“A little help?” Bart asked. Now that Khaji Da was done healing Jaime, they needed to put Red down. Bart could not hope to escape the Reach ship with an angry beetle on his heels. And especially not when he also had to tote along his boyfriend’s unconscious body. 

 

Khaji Da joined in the fray. With the damage that Bart had already done to Red Beetle’s scarab, all Blue had to do was aim a strong wave of sonics at the warrior’s head and he was down for the count. 

 

“How long will he be out for?” Bart asked, looking at the downed Reach warrior. 

 

“Scans indicate that you have approximately ten minutes to escape this Reach vessel with Jaime Reyes.” Both Khaji’s amber and Bart’s green eyes shifted over to where Jaime was laying on the ground. He was unconscious, and covered from head to foot in blood, but the steady rise and fall of his chest was all the reassurance Bart needed. 

 

“Thank you,” Bart whispered, suddenly overcome with emotion. Now that the adrenaline rush from his fight with Red Beetle and his fear over Jaime’s temporary death had passed, he couldn’t help crying. The amount of relief flooding over him was overwhelming. 

 

He turned and flung his arms around Khaji Da’s waist in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered wetly against Blue’s armored chest. 

 

“You are welcome, Bartholomew Allen,” Khaji Da offered in response. While he did not return the hug, Bart knew that Khaji was giving his best attempt at comforting him. 

 

Unfortunately, Bart knew that he did not have time to spare being emotional. Pulling away from the embrace he’d initiated, Bart raised a hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks and then ran to Jaime’s side. Gently, he slid his arms underneath his boyfriend and lifted him up bridal style to carry. Thankfully, he’d worked out a bit since joining the team, and now had the strength to actually lift objects of a decent mass. He was far from being the strongest on the team, but he was certainly miles ahead from where he’d been three years ago. 

 

Once Jaime was secure in his arms, Bart ran over to the door of the laboratory. “Are you coming?” He looked back over his shoulder at Khaji Da. 

 

Blue shook his head. “I cannot. The Reach’s ability to track me poses a risk to yours and Jaime Reyes’ safety. You must make haste. Only seven minutes remain for your escape.” 

 

Bart nodded sadly. He wanted Khaji Da to come with them. He had saved Jaime’s life, and Bart knew that Jaime would be extremely upset upon waking and finding out that he and Khaji Da were no longer one. At least if Khaji Da could come with them, he could help Bart console him. But it looked like that would be something Bart would have to deal with on his own. For now, his main concern had to be getting him and Jaime out of the Reach ship safely. He could deal with Jaime’s emotions later. For now, his physical well-being was Bart’s top priority. 

 

He took a deep breath, and then sprinted out of the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to me posting two chapters on the same day, it will likely be awhile until chapter 5 is up. Until then, feel free to leave comments, questions, theories, critiques, etc. down below. I'd love to see your reactions! 
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr @paintingwithdarkness


	5. The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reacts. Chaos ensues. Bart and Jaime make their escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took me so long! I wrote three and four pretty fast and posted them on the same day, so I figured y'all wouldn't be too mad if it took me a little longer with this chapter. 
> 
> Here is the team's reaction y'all have been anticipating.

“How did he know how to do that?” Virgil asked, after the team watched Bart hack his inhibitor collar. “The Reach used the collars on all of the kids they abducted and I didn’t see anyone get free of one.”

 

M’gann and Conner shared a look. 

 

Miss M sighed. “It’s clear that Kid Flash has had some experience in his own timeline with inhibitor collars. The rhyme he was reciting was a way for him to remember which wires to cut in which order. Blue, red, purple, white, black, yellow, carnation, and green. It also gives us an idea of what his time was like before he came to ours. Blue Beetle and the Reach were tyrants. In Bart’s timeline, their invasion was a success. There were no heroes to put an end to their rein. As far as we know, the current Flash was dead in Bart’s time. He came back to help save the Flash’s life in our time. It’s unclear who the Tornado Twins are. They obviously do not exist yet in our time period, but we can assume that they were heroes in Bart’s future, and that they were killed by the Reach as well. Kid Flash, that is Wally West, was likely still alive in Bart’s time. He mentioned resistance flags. I’m guessing that the surviving heroes did try to stop the Reach at one point, but as Bart mentioned, their efforts were not enough. That’s likely the reason Bart came to our time period as Impulse. He needed to stop the Reach from moding Blue Beetle. His coming back to the past probably saved Jaime’s life.” 

 

Wonder Girl looked as though she were close to tears. “I had no idea Bart’s been through so much. He’s never mentioned anything.” 

 

The rest of the team nodded their heads in agreement. Other than the occasional spoilers that Bart would drop sometimes, none of them had heard anything about the future. They were curious, but none of them had ever really been comfortable asking. Despite being a friendly person, Bart didn’t really have heavy conversations with anyone. Most of the time it was small talk, or mission related. Jaime was the person Bart was closest to on the team, so it was likely that the Hispanic teen probably knew the most about Bart’s future. 

 

“Everyone deals with trauma in their own way,” Superboy offered in response to Cassie’s statement. “It’s probably hard for him to talk about.” 

 

Virgil nodded. “I get that. The week I spent with those alien creepozoids was enough. I can’t imagine spending thirteen years with them.” He gave a small shiver of sympathy. 

 

Brion pointed to one of the “screens” on the wall. “Is that the scarab?” 

 

Everyone’s attention immediately went to the image.

 

 It appeared as though Red Beetle had just returned to the cryogenics lab, and had another beetle warrior in tow behind him. It was obvious that it was the scarab that had been removed from Jaime. The gleaming lapis armor was the same armor they had seen the Hispanic teen don on all of their missions. Even without knowing that Jaime was in the pod across the room, it was obvious that it was not him in the suit. The new host the Reach had found for Khaji Da was at least twice Jaime’s size, both in height and build. 

 

“Bartholomew Allen.” 

 

Everyone on the team was surprised to hear the Blue Beetle speak. They understood that the beetle talked to Jaime inside his head, but no one besides him had ever been able to hear it. Even when Jaime had been moded, he’d sounded like himself. It was strange hearing the deadpan tone leave the warrior’s mouth rather than their friend’s rolling, spanish-accented voice. 

 

“That’s what it sounds like?” Traci asked. 

 

The rest of the team shrugged. Without ever having heard Khaji Da speak, none of them had a basis for what the scarab sounded like, and how much of the tone they had just heard was a result of Khaji Da’s current host. 

 

“Khaji…” The team watched with bated breath as Bart raised an arm to touch the Reach warrior. Everyone full well expected Khaji Da to whip out a plasma cannon and blast the speedster’s arm off. It was shocking to see that the beetle was content to just let Bart do as he pleased. 

 

“Jaime-” Bart began. There was an emotion hidden in his voice that was hard to identify.

 

“Jaime Reyes is no longer my host,” Khaji Da interrupted coldly.

 

It was a difficult exchange to watch. Everyone now understood why Jaime seemed so fed up with the scarab all the time. Khaji Da was downright emotionless. The Latino had told Conner that the AI was sentient, but the only semblance of emotion the team could see from the scarab was his desire to state facts. He didn’t seem to care at all about Bart’s obvious distress, nor did he care about letting Bart get out an actual complete sentence. 

 

After a few tries, it seemed like Bart had finally given up. He walked back over to the pod and gently laid a hand on the glass. Then, he did something the team never would have expected. It was so fast, they had barely seen it, but Bart had pulled out the screwdriver he’d used to disable the collar around his neck and then stabbed down through the glass paneling on the front of the pod, shattering it. 

* * *

 

Everything went from calm to chaos in the span of a second. 

 

“He’s slipping!” M’gann gasped out. “I’m losing Jaime!” 

 

“WHAT?!” Traci immediately screeched. 

 

Cassie was panicking, pacing back and forth across the span of the cave-like space they were in, and Virgil’s eyes were wide, his expression making him look like he wanted to throw up. Brion, despite not knowing Jaime well also appeared to be mildly distressed, switching his gaze between Miss Martian and his girlfriend Violet, who appeared as though she were about to cry. Forager was oddly still, though he did let out a few sad clicks, clasping his two sets of hands together. 

 

Conner took his fiancé and tried to quietly and calmly get some more details out of her, despite the chaos. 

 

“He’s dying,” M’gann managed to get out, her voice climbing slightly in fear. “Bart shattered the pod which was keeping him alive in the mindscape they’re tied into. Bart’s mind is the one controlling the scenario. If he believes Jaime’s dying, then that influence is going to rub off on Blue because they’re connected, and he might actually die in the real world.” She shook her head. “I can’t end the scenario. I have to stay linked with Bart, otherwise we might lose them both. I need you and the team to go back into the real world. See if you can do something.” 

 

Conner nodded. He turned towards the rest of the team, who still seemed to be ensconced in their own mini panics. 

 

“Hey!” He yelled, effectively catching everyone’s attention. “We need to go back out into the real world and see if we can help Jaime. Everyone needs to stay calm. I know he’s our teammate, and that it’s a scary situation right now, but I need everyone on board if we’re going to do this.” 

 

He received five terse nods in response. 

 

Miss Martian’s eyes glowed white.

* * *

 

“Thirteen, Wonder Girl, I need you two to go to the infirmary. Find the crash cart and bring back two IV bags of saline.” Superboy immediately took charge as soon as he and the team were standing back in the training room of the Watchtower. “Static, Forager, Geoforce, I need you three to find Martian Manhunter, the Flash, the Atom and Aquaman. Tell them to get here ASAP. This situation is out of hand.” Superboy turned to the last member of the team. “Halo, I need you to try to heal Jaime.” 

 

As soon as Superboy was done issuing commands, the six teammates got to work. 

 

Traci and Cassie sprinted in the direction of the sick bay, wooden doors of the training room swinging on their hinges, marking the girls’ departure. 

 

“ _Recognized: Static- B-two-six. Recognized: Geoforce- B-three-one._ _Recognized: Forager- B-three-two._ ” The zeta tubes across the room lit up with a golden hue as the three were transported back to earth. 

 

Superboy and Halo ran over to where Jaime and Bart were laying on the 3D slabs in the middle of the room. Luckily, they were no longer floating, as they had been the last time the team had been kicked out of the simulation. Both boys were laying limply on the gray constructs, unconscious, unaware of what was happening outside of their heads. Bart’s eyes were roving beneath his eyelids, as if he were dreaming, fingers twitching slightly every couple seconds. Jaime’s were not. 

 

“I can’t hear his heartbeat,” Conner reported, worried. 

 

“I will try to heal,” Violet said, placing her hands gently on Jaime’s chest. A purple hue surrounded her as she summoned the New Genesan power within her. 

 

Superboy stood by, anxiously observing. He didn’t know whether he should try CPR, or whether he should leave Halo to try and revive the younger boy. His instinct was telling him to push Violet away and use the little medical training he’d been taught, but he knew the power of New Genesan technology. Violet had the spirit of a Mother Box trapped within her human body. If there was a chance she could heal Jaime, Kon needed to put his trust in her. 

 

A few minutes later, Traci and Cassie returned with the defibrillator and IVs. Superboy immediately took the AED and went over to Jaime, setting the device up and turning it on. 

 

“Are you able to heal him?” Superboy turned to Halo and asked her. If she was healing Jaime, he didn’t want to interrupt, but if it wasn’t working, he had no other option but to use the AED. 

 

Halo shook her head. “He has life, but is far away,” she answered cryptically. 

 

Conner decided to go ahead with the defibrillator. If Violet wasn’t magically reviving Jaime, he had to do it with science. 

 

Quickly, Conner unzipped Jaime’s hoodie and removed it from his person. He then took the scissors from the crash kit and cut his tee shirt off of him. He would apologize for ruining it later. Right now, he had to worry about how much time he had left to revive the Latino, rather than how much the shirt had cost. He carefully placed the two patches over Jaime’s torso and then stepped back. 

 

“ _ Analysing heart rhythm, _ ” the machine’s monotone cut through the air. “ _ Do not touch patient. Analysing heart rhythm. _ ” __

 

Cassie, Violet and Conner waited nervously for the AED to give them its next instruction. 

 

“ _Shock advised._ _Charging._ ” The AED made a sharp humming sound. “ _Press flashing shock button._ ” 

 

Conner looked at the two girls before hovering his finger over the blinking green button. “CLEAR!” 

* * *

 

Back inside the second channel, M’gann was trying not to panic. This training exercise had been her idea. She’d thought the team would be able to handle it. She had no idea that Bart would be able to kick her out of the simulation. She’d gotten a brilliant hold on her telepathic powers over the years, and there was no way anyone on her team should have been able to do what Bart had done. 

 

There was only one way she could get back into the simulation, but it would almost assuredly put Bart into a catatonic state and ensure Jaime’s death. She could not force her way back into the first channel. Bart was blocking her from that access. The scenario that he and Jaime were currently playing out was something that Bart did not want her to mess with. It was constructed from memories of his childhood, his thoughts, things that had influenced him in this time, and his feelings. He had constructed a scenario built upon his worst fears. 

 

M’gann was watching Bart sob on screen. It was very obvious to her now that there was something going on between Kid Flash and Blue Beetle that was more than just platonic. Bart would not be reacting this way if he and Jaime were only friends. He was begging Red Beetle to kill him. 

 

Before starting the exercise, M’gann had never exactly realized just how close Jaime and Bart were. She knew that the two hung out together a lot outside of missions, and that they were best friends, but she’d never realized that their friendship had evolved into a romantic relationship. Neither of them had told anyone on the team. They’d hidden the fact from everyone. But Miss M had to wonder how long they’d been together. It was evident from the way Bart was hysterically crying and desperately trying to get to Jaime that it had been awhile. They were serious. If their relationship had been something new, Bart wouldn’t be so upset. If Jaime and Bart didn’t truly love one another, the speedster would not be begging Red Beetle to end his life. Being in a serious relationship herself, M’gann knew the feeling. If anything were to ever happen to Conner, she would not want to go through life without him either. Bart believed Jaime was dead, and therefore, he no longer had anything to live for. 

 

Perhaps it was a good thing the rest of the team was not here to see this. M’gann had not meant for this exercise to turn into outing the younger boys’ relationship or exposing Bart’s memories. She hadn’t wanted Jaime to die. She hadn’t planned for this exercise to go wrong like it had when she and the original team had first tried it. But things were out of her control now. She didn’t know how to fix this. She was supposed to be the leader of the team, but right now, all M’gann wanted was for someone else to step in and make everything okay again. She didn’t understand how things had gone so horribly wrong so horribly fast. 

* * *

 

Reach guards patrolled the stretches of hallway outside of the lab. Two beetles were positioned at every entrance to every room aboard the ship. Each carried a weapon- a staff with an orb at the top, which could emit a laser blast powerful enough to fry both Bart and Jaime if the speedster wasn’t careful. 

 

As he ran, Bart cast quick glances over his shoulder at two second intervals to make sure that a stray laser did not hit him or his boyfriend. As soon as he’d sprinted out the door of the cryogenics laboratory room, the guards had started shooting and chasing after him. Luckily, Bart had his speed at his disposal, so he could ensure that none of the soldiers would be able to grab him or Jaime, but if one of the bugs did get in a good shot with a staff, their escape would be toast. 

 

Bart hugged Jaime close to himself, trying to shield him as much as he could with his own body, and provide him some warmth. Bart didn’t know what Khaji Da had done to heal his boyfriend, but whatever it was, was causing small tremors to rack Jaime’s body, like he was shivering. Goosebumps had broken out across Jaime’s bare arms, torso and legs. Unfortunately when the Reach had frozen Jaime in the stasis pod, they’d taken away his clothes. All he was wearing was a pair of boxers which barely covered a quarter of the length of each of his thighs. Combine the lack of clothes, the blood he had lost and the wind Bart was generating from his running, and it was no wonder Jaime was cold. 

 

His condition was definitely concerning. Bart wanted to get Jaime somewhere safe so that he could focus on taking care of him. He was still unconscious, and despite the shivering, his forehead was burning where it was pressed to the junction of Bart’s neck and shoulder. Bart could feel the heat radiating through the material of his suit, which meant that Jaime was running a high fever. Khaji Da had said that Jaime was alive, and that he hadn’t suffered any brain damage, but beyond that, Bart really had no clue how good or bad Jaime’s current health was. He needed a place where he could set Jaime down and just allow him to rest. 

 

A close call with one of the lasers nearly caught Jaime’s leg, where it was dangling over Bart’s forearm, causing Bart to growl. He had to find the way out of this damned ship. And he had to do it before either one of them got hurt. If Jaime suffered any injuries, Bart wouldn’t have anyone to blame but himself. He didn’t want to make Jaime’s condition any worse than it already was. 

“Where is the damn door?” Bart grunted to himself as he narrowly avoided running into a Reach guard who’d been going the opposite way. 

 

He had to find one soon. He couldn’t run forever. Eventually he and Jaime would get caught. He could already feel himself losing speed. He didn’t know how long either he or Jaime had been trapped on this ship, but it had likely been a few days at least, given that it felt like Bart was starving. He hadn’t had that much fuel to go on to begin with, and he was wasting what he did have running around in circles. Why couldn’t Reach ships just make architectural sense? 

 

When a blast from one of the lasers finally ricocheted and punched a hole through the wall next to Bart’s head, the auburn-haired teen got an idea. He swung around, skidding for a moment, before beginning to run in the direction he had just come from. It seemed to momentarily confuse the soldiers who had been chasing the speedster, which bought Bart all the time he needed. 

 

Carefully, Bart maneuvered Jaime to sling him over his shoulder (which was pretty difficult to do sprinting at mach three), giving himself a free arm. He then used it to punch a Reach soldier in the face when he got close enough and steal the guard’s staff. 

 

Unfortunately, seeing their fellow bug go down seemed to snap the rest of the aliens out of their temporary shock, and they began shooting again, which was a problem for two reasons: one- Bart was now in close range, giving him less time to dodge if need-be, and two- the position Bart had shifted Jaime into now made his boyfriend more vulnerable to getting hit. But at least Bart had a way out now. 

 

Keeping a secure hold on Jaime with one arm, and the staff with the other, Bart made a beeline for the nearest wall that he knew would lead to the outside. He would have already vibrated himself out of the ship, but the problem was that he had Jaime with him, and his boyfriend could not, unfortunately move at the speed of sound. So Bart would have to resort to other methods. 

 

When he finally got within range, the speedster pointed the staff at the metal wall and fired. Seconds later, there was a smoking hole in the side of the ship. He whooped in delight. He and Jaime now had their exit. 

 

Bart turned and gave one last glance over his shoulder. The Reach guards were still a few paces behind. He tightened his grip on Jaime, and then leaped out of the Reach ship and onto solid ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMMENT. COMMENT. COMMENT. Ask me questions. Give me theories. Tell me what you like and don't like about this chapter and the fic in general! I'm dying to know what you guys think of this. PLEASE don't be shy to leave a comment. I promise I will get back to you. I'm a nice person, I swear!
> 
> Also, feel free to hit me up on tumblr. My username is @paintingwithdarkness. I'd love to discuss Bluepulse and yj in general, so feel free to give me a follow or leave me a message!


	6. Big Guns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conner's called on some League members for help. How will they react to the situation M'gann has tied the team into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! First of all, thank you all SOOOOOO much for all of the lovely comments and feedback! I'm ecstatic that this fic has been such a hit. 
> 
> Secondly, I would like to apologize. It's been a fat minute since I last updated this, compared to how I started out. I know I said I wouldn't be keeping any type of schedule with this, but I still feel bad leaving y'all hanging for so long. I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING. A combination of writer's block, injuring myself, and the return of the second half of the season (whoop! whoop!) has kept me from this update longer than it should have. As for solving these problems, the writer's block is gone!, my leg injury is healing nicely (I was pushed into a sharp metal shelf at home, which honestly should be gotten rid of, and had to get eighteen stitches down the length of my shin (fun!)), and I'm caught up with watching the show (yes, I have my grievances. Want to hear them? Look for me on tumblr @Paintingwithdarkness. I'd be happy to discuss the season with you). 
> 
> Anyway, I do want to make a little disclaimer here. Obviously, this fic is not going to follow the events of the rest of the season. For those of you who are caught up, you'll notice what I'm talking about (I'm not going to specify because I realize that not everyone has seen the new episodes. Please respect that and keep S3 details to a minimum if you chose to comment). Additionally, I would like to point out that the events of this fic are taking place THREE years after season 2, making Bart sixteen and Jaime nineteen, for those of you who were wondering. In my head, I always imagine them getting together around this time, so that's how I've written this. 
> 
> With all of that said, I think I've rambled enough. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

“He’s going to be okay, right?” Traci asked. The magic user had tears running down her cheeks. She was clutching onto Jaime’s limp had with her own, squeezing so tightly her knuckles were going white with the effort. 

 

Conner sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. “He should be okay now,” he said, couching down to pack up the now silent AED. After the fourth shock delivered by the machine, Jaime had regained a detectable pulse and steady heart rhythm. 

 

Cassie was standing over by Bart. It was still hard for her to believe that the youngest member of their team had been through so much. Cassie was only a year older than Bart, and she thought her own life was hard. Having superpowers, trying to maintain a semi-normal life outside of the team, making sure her grades stayed up at school; all of that now seemed silly in comparison to what Bart had been though in his life. Cassie had thought she and Bart were pretty good friends, and that she knew him relatively well after being on the team with him for three years, but she was beginning to see that there was a lot she  _ didn’t _ know about the speedster, and a lot he had hidden from the team. 

 

“ _ Recognized: Martian Manhunter- zero-seven. _ ” The computer’s bland voice drew the three conscious heroes’ attention to the glowing zeta tubes across the room. “ _ Flash- zero-four. Atom- one-eight. Aquaman- two-seven. Static- B-two-six. Geoforce- B-three-one. Forager- B-three-two. _ ”

 

Immediately, Barry zipped over to where his unconscious grandson was laying, pushing Wonder Girl out of the way. Hesitantly, he hovered one gloved hand over Bart, unsure whether he should touch him, and ultimately decided to withdraw. “What is going on here?” he demanded. 

 

Kaldur, Ray and J’onn turned to look at Superboy. They had already taken in the scene and were just as shocked as Barry.

 

The Kryptonian placed a hand on the back of his neck and took a deep breath before beginning to explain. “M’gann wanted to try the ‘train for failure’ exercise that Batman and Martian Manhunter used on the original six of us. I wasn’t all for the idea, but I let her talk me into it because she told me she could handle it. I should have just told her no. But M’gann said she would do it differently this time. She didn’t use train for failure scenarios.”

 

Martian Manhunter cut in. “This was M’gann’s idea?” 

 

Conner nodded. “Despite the trauma that Dick, Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, M’gann and I faced in the exercise, it drew us closer as a team. I think M’gann wanted to do something to that effect with the current team. The reason we thought the exercise went wrong the first time was because it was designed to progressively get worse no matter what happened. This time, M’gann used the opposite method: the scenarios would start out bad, but get better with progress. Kind of like how a good mission should go. To be safe, she was only putting two members of the team into each scenario at a time. Kid Flash and Blue Beetle are the ones in there now. The problem is, Kid Flash apparently initiated some kind of psychic backlash and kicked everyone out. Him and Blue are stuck in the mindscape, and M’gann can’t get in to control the situation without putting them both into catatonic states.” 

 

Barry looked furious. “J’onn, can you pull them out?” He turned to the martian, meeting Manhunter’s red eyes imploringly. 

 

Martian Manhunter shook his head. “M’gann’s telepathic prowess far exceeds my own. If she is unable to pull Kid Flash and Blue Beetle from the scenario, I doubt I can do better.” 

 

Ray Palmer, who’d been silent up until this point, finally spoke up. “Not to uh, make things any worse than they already are, but may I ask why you’re holding an AED?”

 

Conner groaned. In the background, Forager, Brion and Virgil stood silently, watching the interaction between the League members and their de-facto second in command. 

 

“Like with the original exercise, the events going on in the mindscape Blue and Kid Flash are in are affecting their bodies in the real world. Blue went into cardiac arrest. We managed to restart his heart and get him into a stable state, but we called you four in because we don’t know how the situation is going to continue to progress. M’gann can’t pull them out of it, so things like this may continue to happen until they’re able to snap themselves out of the exercise.” 

 

Kaldur sighed. “I see. So you have called Flash, Atom, Martian Manhunter and myself here to help?” 

 

Conner gave his friend a sheepish look. “I didn’t really know what else to do. Ray has some medical knowledge, so I figured he could help keep Bart and Jaime in stable conditions here in the real world. I was hoping J’onn could do something to help M’gann in the telepathic realm. I called Barry because… well, the obvious reason that he’s Bart’s family. And there was no way I would have been able to hide something like this from the Justice League’s leader, and my friend.” 

 

Barry cast another look at his grandson. “Does Jaime’s family know about this?” 

 

The Kryptonian shook his head. “No. Jaime’s family are civilians. They don’t have access to the Watchtower, and I feel that telling them would only cause more panic-”

 

The Flash cut him off. “Well, I guess I should be lucky that _I_ was informed then. I don’t know what possessed you to think that trying an exercise that failed so miserably in the past would be a good idea, because now you’ve put both my grandson and another member of your team at risk. If anything happens to either one of these boys, you and Miss Martian will be the ones held responsible.” 

 

Martian Manhunter put a green hand on the seething blond man’s shoulder. “Might I suggest we try to work this out in a diplomatic manner? I will attempt to help my niece with the telepathy-related issues contributing to the problem. For now, Atom should try to ensure Kid Flash and Blue Beetle maintain stable, healthy states to prevent permanent damage caused by their mental perceptions of the scenario they are in.” Manhunter moved across the room to lay a hand on his niece’s shoulder. Miss Martian was floating criss-cross style mid-air between the two slabs the younger boys were laying on. Her eyes were glowing red, and both hands were pressed to her temples. Despite her physical presence in the training room, it was obvious that her mind and concentration were somewhere else, even without prior explanation. 

 

The man from Mars turned back to look at the others. Everyone, with the exception of Barry (who was still next to Bart), and Traci (who was clinging to Jaime’s hand) were standing in the middle of the training room. “I also am in agreement with Barry. Blue Beetle’s family should be informed of the situation.” 

 

Kaldur placed his hands on his hips. “Be that as it may, for now, I believe knowledge of this incident should be kept among those who already know about it. We do not want to encourage panic. We are already spread thin and do not need to add stress to the minds of those who are already dealing with more than they can handle. I will personally inform Beetle’s family of the situation. Depending on the length of time this situation lasts, they may be given temporary access to the Watchtower to see him. For now, we will proceed as Martian Manhunter has laid out. Wonder Girl, Static, I believe it best you both return home to your families for the time being. Halo, I understand you are currently staying with Artemis and Will. Forager and Geoforce, different accommodations will be made in order to-”

 

Brion cut the leader of the League off. “If I may speak for the team, I believe most of us would like to stay here.” He gestured to Cassie, who was still casting a sympathetic look in Bart’s direction, and at Traci, who still seemed adamant to stay by Jaime’s side. 

 

Conner stepped forward. “I don’t really know that there’s much you or the rest of the team can do at the moment to be honest. I know you were all watching what was going on up until this point, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for M’gann to pull all of us back into the mind space. She’s already struggling to maintain her link with Kid Flash and Blue. Trying to link six more people? That increases the risk of M’gann losing her grip.” 

 

Despite the actual intentions behind the words coming out of Superboy’s mouth, Barry latched onto what they implied. “You were all watching what was going on inside their heads? What’s happening? Are the boys okay? I mean, considering one of them has already gone into cardiac arrest, I’m highly doubting it, but-” 

 

Quick-witted as he was, it was rare for the Flash to get into a mass panic. He was used to facing situations that were dangerous and posed risks not only to his own life, but the lives of the other members of the League he worked with. This should have been like any other of those situations, but the problem was his grandson’s involvement. Now that Jay and Joan were gone, and he had already lost his first protegé, Barry had started to really grow attached to Bart. He and Iris both treated him as though Bart were their own child. He’d been living with them for about a year now, after moving out of the Garrick’s, and he had become an important part of a lot of people’s lives, despite not coming from the time period. Barry was worried about him. 

 

Conner tried to put on a wobbly smile to reassure the concerned grandfather, but the expression ultimately ended up as a grimace. “Up until recently, we were all linked into a separate telepathic channel. M’gann had originally intended to link herself, Kid Flash and Blue Beetle together in a first channel, made for the purpose of the exercise. She then created a second channel, designed for the team members who weren’t directly involved in the scenario to watch. In this case, M’gann was unable to maintain a presence in the first telepathic channel, so she has no control over what’s actually happening. Bart’s mind is the one in control, and it appears as though he’s created some alternate version of the future he came here to change. He and Jaime were trapped on a Reach ship. At the current moment, M’gann is the only one who’s gotten the full story, being that the rest of us are out here.” 

 

The four Leaguers took a minute to process the Kryptonian’s words. Though clearly still angry and distressed, Barry had at least managed to dial back the high speed word-vomit that had been coming from his mouth previously. Kaldur and Ray appeared emotionally neutral and J’onn had a troubled look overcoming his features.

 

After a few moments of silence, Barry spoke up again. “Is there any way we can talk to Miss Martian to find out what’s going on, or a way that she can link us together so that I can _ see _ what’s going on?” 

 

Martian Manhunter put a hand on the Flash’s shoulder. “It would not be wise for M’gann to attempt to establish any more telepathic links. She must maintain her link with Kid Flash and Blue Beetle, which puts a tremendous amount of strain on her already. Losing her connection to either one of them raises the risk of catatonia. I believe that I, however, may be of assistance.” 

 

Conner gave a nervous cough, interrupting the martian before he could continue. “M’gann told us she never actually established a link with Jaime. He’s connected to Bart via the first channel, but M’gann can’t actually access any of his memories.” 

 

The green man’s troubled expression continued to deepen, creases forming on his forehead and lips drooping further down into a frown. “That… does make things difficult.” 

 

Ray held up a hand. “What if J’onn acted as a psychic go-between? Blue Beetle is connected to Kid Flash. Kid Flash is connected to Miss Martian. If J’onn can connect to Miss M, and then to all of us, we should be able to see what’s going on without putting any extra strain on M’gann, right?”

 

“In theory, that could work, but-”

 

“Great. What are we waiting for, then?” 

 

Kaldur stepped in before the situation dissolved into another argument. “Atom will need help here in the real world maintaining Kid Flash’s and Blue Beetle’s health. I would suggest half the team stays behind to assist him. The other half, Superboy and Flash should accompany Martian Manhunter into the mind space. I will inform Beetle's family of the situation.” 

 

Everyone seemed to be in agreement with the Atlantian. The only problem now was choosing which members of the team would stay behind and which would follow back into the mindscape. 

 

“You’ll take turns,” Conner declared when he noticed the six members of his and M’gann’s team casting questioning looks at one another. “Three of you will go in now, and the other three of you will have a turn later. That way, you can have time to rest and eat when you’re not in the mind space.”

 

Unfortunately, the Kryptonian’s directive did not seem to alleviate the issue. It seemed the team was still undecided on who would go back with Superboy, Flash and Martian Manhunter, and who would stay with Ray Palmer. 

 

Conner sighed. “Geoforce, Wonder Girl, and Thirteen will come back into the mind space first. Static, Forager and Halo will help Atom. We’ll make the switch when an opportunity presents itself.” 

 

The six members of the team nodded. Violet, Virgil and Forager joined Ray, where he was standing next to Jaime, inspecting the slight burns the AED patches had left behind on the teen’s chest.

 

“We need IV poles, EKG monitors…” Ray’s voice became a buzz in the background.

 

Cassie, Traci, Brion, Barry and Conner gathered in a loose ring around Martian Manhunter. 

 

“I will establish a link with my niece first, and then telepathically reach out to the rest of you.” Manhunter’s eyes began to glow.

* * *

“Uncle J’onn?” M’gann’s voice sounded relieved, confused, and scared all at once. 

She was relieved that someone was finally here to help take some of the mental strain off of her. She had to keep a firm grip on her link with Kid Flash in the hopes that she would eventually be able to a) establish a link with Jaime and b) pull them both out of the scenario they’d gotten stuck in. But it was hard work. Uncle J’onn was the only person she really knew of that would have any chance of helping her out in the telepathic realm. If he could serve as a go-between her and the team, M’gann would no longer have to worry about simultaneously maintaining two different links. And while she was grateful that he was here to help her, she didn’t understand why. How had Uncle J’onn heard about what was going on? Had her fiancé contacted him when she’d sent him and the team out to take care of Jaime? What did her uncle think of this situation? Would he be angry with her? 

“M’gann.” It was difficult to tell exactly which emotions were running through his tone. 

“I didn’t anticipate it going like this,” the younger martian offered by way of explanation. What else was there for her to say? They were stuck in this situation. There was no point of entertaining hypothetical ‘what-ifs’. All that she could do now was come up with a solution and take responsibility for what had happened. 

“I understand,” Manhunter replied. “But I am still in bewilderment as to  _ how _ this has happened. Where did things first go wrong?” 

M’gann sighed. This whole situation was frustrating. “It happened almost immediately,” she began. “I established a link between myself, Bart and Jaime. Then, I linked the rest of the team to myself in a separate channel- the one where we are now.” Miss Martian gestured to the cave-like structure surrounding them. Images of Kid Flash running across a barren landscape filled all of the ‘screens’. He had an unconscious Jaime slung over one shoulder and was carrying some kind of staff in the other. 

Manhunter gestured to the images as well. “This is how you were showing the team what was occurring inside the other link.” 

M’gann nodded. “Yes. When I originally went to look for memories Bart and Jaime shared to build their training scenario, Bart kicked us out. Before beginning this exercise, I told the team that I would only use memories of theirs that they actively volunteered. It’s clear to me now that Bart did not want to volunteer any of his memories, or that he found my presence in his mind to be too intrusive. I am however still confused as to how he was able to kick me out. I’ve established telepathic links with the team before on missions, and he hasn’t had any issues. Bart isn’t a telepath. He shouldn’t have had the brain-power to kick me out. The only way I can see him being able to do what he did is if he had some kind of special training in the past. If he has, it would have been from before he came to our time period. When we finally manage to get him and Jaime out of this scenario they’re trapped in, I suppose I’ll have to ask him.” 

Martian Manhunter frowned. “Have you considered that Kid Flash may not want to talk about what has occurred in his past? That this is something he wants to remain secret?” 

 

M’gann nodded. “I’m guessing that’s why he kicked everyone out.”

“But you relinked everyone so that they could watch what was going on?”

M’gann returned her uncle’s frown. That was something she had briefly thought about since the debacle began. Bart obviously had his reasons for not wanting to share what had happened in the time he had come from. Because he had (presumably) changed the future, he was now the only one in existence with any memories of what that Reach-ruled time had been like. He was the only one who had to live with the burden of remembering. But wasn’t that a good argument for why he should share? So he didn’t have to carry the burden alone? At least, that was the way M’gann had justified it when she’d relinked the team into the second channel. 

“We don’t know a lot about his past,” M’gann tried to defend her decision. “You know as well as I do, the extensiveness of the files kept on each member of the League and the team. Compared to everyone else, Bart’s file is relatively empty.  _ It’s important _ that the files are kept. They allow other members of the League and team to react in cases of emergency. Knowing allergies, sensitivities to certain types of treatment and triggering events specific to each of our members can make the difference between helping them and watching them suffer.” 

Martian Manhunter sighed. He couldn’t exactly argue with the point M’gann had just made, because she was right. “But will the team knowing every detail of Kid Flash’s upbringing be of any benefit to him? Or will this simply be the cause of more trauma?” 

M’gann didn’t have anything more to say. She was still doubtful she had made the right decisions, but there was no turning back now. Kaldur had trusted her to lead the team, and she had to stand by what she had already done. Unsureness was not a becoming trait of good leaders. She would take full responsibility for the situation she’d put Bart and Jaime into. Whether or not that decision had been a good one was yet to be determined. For now, the best course of action was to deal with what she could actually change. 

“How is the situation out there?” she asked. “Were they able to stabilize Jaime?” 

Manhunter nodded. “Yes. Atom has taken charge of maintaining Kid Flash’s and Blue Beetle’s health in the physical world. Aquaman has zetaed to earth to inform his family of the situation. Flash was called on behalf of his grandson. He wishes to be linked into this channel with us so that he may witness the scenario for himself.”  

The younger martian nodded. “I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?” 

“Yes,” Martian Manhunter affirmed. “Conner and I agreed that you should not endure any more mental strain than you are already under. It is important that you remain linked with Kid Flash. I am here to link the Flash, Conner, Wonder Girl, Geoforce and Thirteen into this channel.” 

M’gann turned to her uncle, confusion painted across her features. “And Static, Forager and Halo?” 

“They are to help Atom with the maintenance of Kid Flash and Blue Beetle’s health. Your fiancé suggested the members of the team taking turns between the mind space and aiding Atom.” 

Miss Martian let the new information sink in. She didn’t want to call her uncle a hypocrite, but she found it interesting that less than a minute ago, he had been warning her about Kid Flash wanting to keep his past secrets to himself, and now he was suggesting relinking the team into the mind space. Again, not that she had been making much better decisions on her own. Besides, it was too late now anyway. The team had already seen how Bart had reacted to being on the Reach ship. Turning them away now would not eliminate the line of questioning the speedster was sure to have directed at him as soon as he and Jaime were out of this. 

“Okay,” she told J’onn. “You can link everyone in now.”

* * *

One by one, bright white flashes surrounded the martian duo, dissolving into Barry, Conner, Cassie, Brion and Traci respectively. 

Quickly, Barry looked around at his new surroundings. “So this is how you’ve been able to see what’s going on.” It was more of a statement than an inquiry. 

Wonder Girl gave an affirmative hum, confirming the speedster’s observations. 

The blond man’s azure eyes caught on one of the ‘screens’. His grandson was running across a grey, dirt-covered landscape. In the background, Barry could see what appeared to be snow- or… ash?- falling from the smoggy sky. Heaping piles of rubbish created a maze, making it somewhat difficult for Bart to maneuver through at the high speed he was running, not to mention that he had the unconscious body of that Jaime kid slung over his shoulder. Bart had invited the Latino over to the house enough times to hang out, that Barry could easily identify him. 

“Someone’s going to have to explain this to me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to see comments! Critiques, questions, concerns, theories, compliments, etc. are all welcome. I enjoy seeing what you guys think of my work, and ways that you think I can improve. I'm always open to suggestions! 
> 
> [ My Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/paintingwithdarkness)


	7. Home, Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart finally gets Jaime somewhere safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter ended up A LOT longer than I anticipated. Like, double the length of a normal chapter. But I was on a roll, and did not want to break this up into two separate parts. It wouldn't flow the same if I did that. So, I hope you guys enjoy this extra long chapter! It's the longest one I've written yet!

Bart could count on one hand the number of times in his life he’d had to stop running to catch his breath. He’d forgotten just how bad the air-quality was in the future. Weather patterns and pollution always caused grey, overcast skies, with either falling ash or acid rain, depending on the day. And the cloud of dirt he was kicking up behind himself as he ran certainly wasn’t helping either. 

 

When he’d first jumped out of the Reach ship, Bart had stumbled and almost dropped Jaime. The world around him was the same one from his nightmares. Piles of twisted metal, abandoned machine parts, trash and rotting food littered the landscape. The ground beneath his feet was nothing but dirt; gravel that easily wore down the soles of sneakers, which in the future, were very hard to come by. 

 

Near where the Reach ship was parked was an area of land, about an acre in size, sectioned off by a square of chain link fencing. Seeing it made bile rise in the back of Bart’s throat. It was a labor camp. One where Reach soldiers ran people ragged with work, and killed those who no longer could. Where Reach soldiers prowled the perimeter of the razor-wire topped fence and fired plasma cannons at people without discretion. Where inhibitor collars were a part of the daily uniform and slanderous Reach phrases were hissed whispers in the night. Where Bart had come face-to-face with Blue Beetle for the first time. 

* * *

His parents, Don Allen and Meloni Thawne, had been taken from him when he was six. His father had been killed in a Resistance raid, back when the movement was still alive. He and Aunt Dawn had been attempting to liberate fellow metahumans from a Reach science facility when they’d been caught on the wrong side of a Reach soldier’s scythe. Bart could remember his mother crying for days after the news had gotten round. He supposed he had been too young at the time to really understand what had happened, but Bart had cried because his mother had cried, and he’d grasped enough to know that something bad had happened. 

 

Shortly after, the Resistance base where Bart and his mother had been living was discovered. Reach soldiers had stormed in and killed everyone strong enough to put up a fight. That was the only time Bart could ever remember seeing so much blood. His mother had died trying to protect him. She’d taken a plasma cannon blast straight to the chest. There was no scream, no dying breath, and no light fading from her opal eyes. She had been alive, and then she hadn’t. And as Bart had stared horrifyingly at his mother’s corpse, a Reach soldier had picked him up and carried him off to a science facility, kicking and screaming. 

 

There, he’d spent the next two years of his life as the Reach’s guinea pig. He’d been poked, prodded, picked at and tortured, all because of a single gene sequence in his DNA. He’d been born with his powers- something that was very rare amongst the people still alive in his time. Most metahumans had had their metagenes activated by the Reach, or had acquired their powers in accidents or under other circumstances. The Reach had been interested in studying Bart because of his lineage. The whole point of the metagene research was to see if the Reach could extract the metagene and replicate it in their own soldiers. By the time they’d released Bart from the testing labs and into a labor camp, they had created Reach soldiers with super strength, telepathy, telekinesis, shapeshifting, super speed and a whole slew of other powers. Those were the warriors who patrolled the camps. 

 

Blue Beetle was a rare exception. He hadn’t gotten a metagene upgrade. He’d been pure Reach tech over an average human host. Bart hadn’t known who was under the armor because it never came off. He’d already been working in the camps for two years before he and Blue came face to face for the first time. Bart had been ten. He could remember the encounter with disturbing clarity. The way the gravel had buried itself in his knee when he’d tripped and fallen. The heat of a warning blue plasma blast soaring right beside his head. The threatening voice reverberating along Bart’s bones as the soldier commanded him to get up. The bruises Blue’s fingers had left behind on his bicep as he’d dragged Bart back up to his feet. The menacing amber eyes that had stared straight into his soul. The burning sting of the electric collar around his neck as punishment. Despite having no additional superpowers, Blue Beetle was by far the scariest Reach soldier Bart had ever encountered. 

 

It was funny to think about. Bart didn’t actually know if Jaime had been the one behind the armor during his own time period. All he had known was that Jaime was the one wearing the armor when the Reach invasion  _ began _ . By the time Bart had turned ten and actually met Blue for himself, it could have been an entirely different person under the suit. Bart had been born in the thick of everything. The world had already been reduced to shit by the time he was born. The invasion started in 2016. He’d been brought into the world in 2043, twenty-seven years after the fact. Therefore, it was quite possible that Bart had never met Jaime in his own time. It was possible that Jaime was… dead in Bart’s time. 

 

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jaime didn’t die  _ now _ . Bart had gotten them off the ship. Now he had to find a safe place for them to stay out of sight and out of the Reach’s… well, reach. 

 

Unfortunately, Bart did not know the exact time he and his boyfriend were in, or how they had gotten there. He remembered Red Beetle saying something about Jaime setting the Reach invasion back by a decade, so he could assume at least ten years had passed since 2016. But that didn’t really make much sense. He, nor Jaime looked like they had aged at all. From what Bart remembered, the year should be 2019, meaning that he was sixteen and Jaime was nineteen. Then again, he’d heard about the original Roy Harper, who’d been kept on ice for eight years. If the Reach had kept Bart and Jaime frozen in pods, any number of years could have passed without either of them knowing. 

 

Depending on how much time had passed, there was one place that he and his boyfriend might be able to go. Nathaniel had showed it to him right after he’d saved Bart from the labor camp.

* * *

It had just been a standard day for Bart, hauling around old machine parts and other rubbish for the Reach, trying not to draw the attention of any of the soldiers. He’d already watched two people get murdered that morning for causing a scene. He didn’t want to be the next one on the list. He’d kept his head down and did his best not to drop from exhaustion. Even without his meta metabolism eating away at him (the only thing the collar was actually useful for), he was still way underweight for a boy his age. The Reach only gave their laborers one meal a day, consisting of a Reach drink (yes, the same strawberry mango and peach brand they had started producing during the invasion Bart had gone back in time to stop (and had apparently failed at)), and a small assortment of Reach-enhanced fruits and vegetables, all of which had the complacency additive in them. For a majority of the population, the additive worked the way the Reach had wanted it to, and those people had become mindless servants of the scarab-wearing tyrants. The small percentage of the population the additive hadn’t worked on had made up the Resistance. Thankfully for Bart, the additive had never worked. And even if it had, Bart doubted he would be any less hungry. 

 

In addition to the lack of food, the Reach also only allowed their laborers a few hours of rest each night. Bedtime was never consistent. Slaves were expected to work from the second the first ray of sun poked through the choking cloud cover hanging over the world, to the second where it became too dark to see your hand an inch away from your face. Depending on the time of year, that meant Bart got anywhere from five to nine hours each night. All-in-all, not too bad, but during the summer months when he was only getting five hours night, after night, after night, it was hard to keep himself from dragging his feet. 

 

When work had finally ended that day (as declared by the leading Reach soldier on patrol), Bart had hunkered down in the little alcove he’d made himself, and tried to drift off. Unfortunately, it was winter, which meant that he’d likely stay up all night shivering. Because of the haze of pollution hanging over everything, nights were unbearably cold (especially in winter), and days were swelteringly hot. The Reach made everyone sleep outside. Those who weren’t murdered by the soldiers starved to death, and those who didn’t starve to death froze in their sleep. Bart was lucky he hadn’t frozen yet himself. His body didn’t have any spare fat to burn off to keep him warm. He wasn’t getting enough nutrients each day to maintain a healthy weight or height. He was eleven years old, stood four foot five and weighed just over fifty pounds. From what he had learned in traveling to the past, Bart knew that he should have been around four foot eight, and seventy-five pounds to be considered healthy during that time. But it was nothing that could be helped. Because of that stunted physical growth he had experienced in his childhood, Bart would likely never reach the full height his genetic potential would have granted him. He was sixteen now and had only reached five foot seven. He was hoping to get at least another two inches so he could make it to average height before he stopped growing, but it was probably wishful thinking on his part. At nineteen, Jaime had topped out at five eleven and had four inches on him. Bart couldn’t help feeling tiny standing next to his boyfriend.

 

Speaking of, Bart was getting exhausted carrying Jaime’s five eleven, 160 pound ass. He was running at mach two, toting along a weight equivalent to his own body, plus thirty pounds. He was running out of steam. He needed to reach Nathaniel’s safe spot before he ran out of energy and faceplanted himself and his boyfriend into the dirt below his feet. 

* * *

Nathaniel had snuck into the Reach camp where Bart was being held. He’d nearly scared the shit out of the kid when he’d come over to him in the dead of night and started fiddling with the collar around his neck. After three years in the camp, Bart knew the collar was not something you wanted to mess with. 

 

He’d hissed a series of offensive Reach words at Nathaniel before grabbing a nearby rock and attempting to bash the older man’s face with it. Unfortunately, Nathaniel had better reflexes than Bart had expected. He caught the tiny speedster by a skinny, pale wrist and held tight as Bart thrashed in his grip. 

 

“I’m trying to help you,” the older man grunted. Despite Bart being young and skinny, he was feisty. 

 

Instantly, Bart’s dull, jade eyes had narrowed. No one ever tried to help unless there was something to be personally gained. “And what’s in it for you?” 

 

Nathaniel’s brown eyes locked onto Bart’s. “Redemption.” 

 

Bart had cocked a slender auburn brow. “Redemption?” he repeated, letting his skepticism leak out into his tone. 

 

The bald man sighed. “Look Allen, just let me get this collar off of you, then I’ll explain, alright?” 

 

The mention of his surname threw Bart for a loop. “How do you-?”

 

“Know your name?” Nathaniel finished the sentence for him. “Kid, everyone knows who you are.” 

 

Unfortunately, Nathaniel wasn’t wrong. Even in a time without the internet and social media, rumors spread like wildfire. Everyone knew of the fabled son of Don Allen, one of the famous Tornado Twins. He’d been a light in the dark for the Resistance movement. He’d liberated more metahumans than any other hero before him. He, Aunt Dawn, and Wally West had been the heroes of Bart’s childhood. They’d been his role models. The ones who had taught him to use his powers and what the Flash legacy meant. They’d given Bart big shoes to fill, and everyone around him knew it. Even after his father and aunt had been dead for five years, Bart still heard the whispers. People wanted another hero; someone who would continue the fight. Everyone knew that Don Allen had a son. What they didn’t know was just how old Bart actually was, and what a big burden they were trying to place on the poor eleven year old’s shoulders. 

 

“Fine,” Bart huffed. “You know who I am. But that still doesn’t tell me why you’re trying to electrocute me.” He tried to shift his body away from Nathaniel’s hands, which were once again reaching for the collar around his neck. 

 

Nathaniel growled. Bart could tell he was trying the man’s patience. 

 

“Look, do you want the collar off, or not? I promise I’m not trying to hurt you, kid.” 

 

Bart watched as he slipped a small phillips head screwdriver from the end of his sleeve. Using the tip of it, Nathaniel popped open the panel of the inhibitor collar around his own neck. The wiring within was frayed to bits. A single green wire had been twisted back together from where it had originally been cut. 

 

“See?” Nathaniel popped the panel back into place. When he did, the red lights on the front of the collar flicked back on. 

 

“Why don’t you have all of the collar deactivated?” Bart questioned. For someone who had been smart enough to hack the collar without frying himself, Bart was puzzled as to why Nathaniel would chose to continue inhibiting his meta abilities. 

 

“I disabled the GPS and tracking chip, which is the important part,” Nathaniel replied. “But my powers aren’t something I’m all that proud of. I keep the collar on for a reason. You, on the other hand; I can give you your powers back.” 

 

Bart hesitated. He didn’t know whether or not he could trust this man. “Who are you?” he demanded. 

 

The bald man rubbed a hand over his head. “Nathaniel Tryon,” he supplied. 

 

Bart had never heard the name before. “I’m Bart,” he said, providing his first name. He wasn’t sure whether Nathaniel knew it or not. 

 

“Bart…” Nathaniel tried it out. “Short for Bartholomew. That was your grandfather’s name. Bartholomew Henry Allen.” 

 

Bart wrinkled his nose. “It’s Bart,” he insisted. The only time anyone had ever called him Bartholomew was when he was in trouble. The last time he’d heard it… had been from his mother. 

 

Nathaniel humored him. “Okay, Bart, will you let me help you now?” His tone was slightly more urgent that it had been previously. What they were doing was risky. Just because it was night time didn’t mean the Reach guards stopped patrolling. They were actually very fortunate that they hadn’t already been caught. 

 

Slowly, Bart bared his neck so that Nathaniel could work on his collar. Was it stupid for Bart to trust a stranger he’d just met? Yes. But what better chance was there for Bart to finally be free of his captors? He’d been an experiment and a slave for five years and he was done with it. If Nathaniel killed him, there wasn’t much to be lost. If Nathaniel let him live, there was so much Bart could do, outside of the lines of the chain-link that had sealed him in. 

 

“If Blue catches you, you’re good as dead. Hope Flash comes to save you, dressed in red.” Bart could hear Nathaniel muttering under his breath. 

 

“What?” Bart asked in confusion. “What are you saying?” 

 

Nathaniel’s brown eyes spared a brief glance up from Bart’s neck. “I created a rhyme to help me remember which wires to cut,” was the explanation. He continued on. “Purple was the color of the Tornado Twins, til hope was lost and the Reach claimed the win. Resistance flags burned white through the ash, everyone hoping the mode could be crashed.” Those were words Bart had heard the Reach soldiers using.  _ Mode _ and  _ crash _ . He wondered what they meant. “But plasma cannon blasts turned flesh to black and inhibitor collars got harder to hack.” 

 

Bart gave Nathaniel a frightened look at that. The older man only gave Bart a smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder in return. He continued to cut the wires inside of Bart’s collar. So far, everything was fine. Bart hadn’t been electrocuted and Nathaniel looked like he knew what he was doing. 

 

“Long live the heroes of the next generation: Kid Flash in yellow; Impulse in carnation.” 

 

“Who’s Impulse?” Bart asked. He’d never heard that hero’s name before. 

 

Nathaniel gave him another smile. When he looked up, Bart was able to spot a twinkle in his eyes. “That’s what I came here to ask you, kid.” 

 

Bart blinked back at him. That response hadn’t really answered his question. 

 

“Only one chance to wipe the timeline clean and return a ruined world to its original state of green.” 

 

Bart could feel the exact moment when Nathaniel cut the last wire. It was like the world around him had gone from zero to one hundred. Seconds took longer to pass. Everything was moving in slow motion. There was  _ lightning  _ running in Bart’s blood. He’d forgotten what his ties to the speedforce felt like. 

 

He must have been grinning because Nathaniel laughed at him. “Better, kid?” 

 

Bart nodded in thanks. He couldn’t believe he actually had his speed back. The last time he’d ran seemed like forever ago. Sure, the Reach scientists had tortured him during the two years he’d been their subject, and certain aspects of his abilities had been tested, but the last time Bart had actually ran of his own free will… really ran… 

 

Nathaniel snapped him out of his reverie. “We don’t have a lot of time to get out of here,” he said. “Surprised the patrols haven’t already caught us.” He handed Bart the screwdriver. “I hate asking a kid to do this, but you’re going to have to distract the guards while I make us an escape path.” 

 

Bart nodded his understanding. 

 

Nathaniel’s grin made a reappearance. “If any of them get close enough,” he pointed at the Phillips in Bart’s hand. “Aim for the eyes.” 

* * *

Bart groaned. He was almost there. Luckily, the Reach ship he had busted himself and Jaime out of was in a familiar enough area. He knew the general direction in which he had to run to get to the bunker. It had been a handful of miles from the ship to where Bart was now, but he’d already trekked about three-fourths of the journey. 

His surroundings were beginning to look familiar; somewhat comforting, that is, if you could call rubble heaps, a burned out car chassis and a ring of scavengers’ tents comforting. But these were the things he’d grown used to seeing over the last two years he’d spent living with Nathaniel. They were normal to him. 

The Leaning Tower of Car Tires (named so because Nathaniel said it looked like the monument that had once stood in Italy) marked the entrance to the junkyard Bart needed to pass through to get to where he was going. In the yard, several scavengers were hard at work, picking through the trash to see if there was anything salvageable. Speaking of which, Bart would need to go scavenging himself soon. Once he got Jaime to the bunker, he would need to find food so that he and his boyfriend didn’t starve to death. Bart wasn’t sure how long ago the Reach would have fed either of them, but he was starting to feel famished. 

About a mile or two away from the junkyard was the rusty, burned out, crumpling body of a pickup truck. Due to the damage the car had sustained, and the wear and tear weather and time had brought to the old machine, Bart could not tell what color or model the vehicle was. Not that he would have known, even if the car was brand new. He’d never really gotten into the whole obsession with cars that other guys his age seemed to have. Not that he had a problem with anyone who was into them. His boyfriend was actually really knowledgeable on that front. Jaime had been spending every summer since he’d turned sixteen assisting his dad in the auto shop he owned. He’d learned a lot about mechanics and different types of cars through experience. He’d even invited Bart over a few times to help out, even though the speedster still didn’t know the difference between a ratchet and a socket wrench. The real reason Bart always agreed to tag along wasn’t so that he could help with the manual labor (Jaime and Alberto had everything covered on that front), or so that he could check out all of the vintage cars that pulled into the shop. Nope. He went because it gave him an excuse to stare at Jaime, who looked incredibly hot in the wife beaters and coveralls he always wore, zipped halfway up with the sleeves tied around his hips to keep the pants up. Bent over the open hoods of cars, Bart had the perfect view of his boyfriend’s ass and sculpted back, strong shoulders flexing as he tightened bolts and messed about with other engine parts Bart didn’t know the names of. Watching the sweat roll down Jaime’s temples and coat his tanned skin in a shining gleam should have been a turn off, but Bart couldn’t help wanting to lick the salty droplets from where they gathered at the tiny cleft above Jaime’s upper lip or run his hands over the creases of Jaime’s abs where the tanktops always clung to him, accentuating the muscles. Not that he would ever do that, because he and Jaime were still keeping their relationship a secret from everyone, and his boyfriend would absolutely kill him if he pulled a stunt like that in front of his father. 

But Bart’s thoughts were off track. He needed to start paying attention to his surroundings rather than getting lost in fantasies about his boyfriend. If he didn’t, Jaime’s weight and the poor air quality wouldn’t be the only things making it difficult for him to run. 

By this point, he had already passed the ring of tents where scavengers set up camp. Bart was glad. It was always dangerous passing through their territory. Everything was fair game. If you weren’t fast, or strong, or sneaky, you were a target. You might think hunkering down beside a warm fire with a tent and a community of others around you would be the safest you could get during the time, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. One night, you would go to sleep, everything you had scavenged for the day stored securely in your tent with you, and the next day, you would wake up laying in the dirt in nothing but your underwear because everything-  _ even your freaking tent _ \- would be stolen right out from underneath you. That was why Nathaniel opted for the bunker. 

* * *

“Careful, kid!” Nathaniel warned him as Bart’s foot caught a loose rock and he began to slip. He and the older man were climbing up a rocky hill. An  _ extremely dangerous _ rocky hill. 

 

Bart’s distraction at the labor camp had gone off wonderfully. He hadn’t even needed to use the screwdriver. With his speed back, Bart had had an edge. There had been three Beetles patrolling the camp: one with super strength, one with telekinesis, and one with pyrogenerative abilities in addition to the scarab armor. None of them had been fast enough to catch Bart. Granted, he had had to worry about not catching on fire, or getting crushed by the heavy objects the telekinetic beetle had been throwing at him, but with his enhanced perception, it was easy to see the attacks coming. He’d given Nathaniel enough time to cut a hole in the chain link big enough for both of them to wiggle through, and when the older man gave the signal that it was time to go, both of them had high-tailed it out of the camp as fast as Nathaniel could run. 

 

They’d had to check over their shoulders to make sure they weren’t being followed. Luckily, the soldiers were smart enough to stay behind at the camp and worry about all of the other prisoners who’d been woken up in the pandemonium, and were trying to escape through the hole in the fence. That meant Bart and Nathaniel had enough time to get far enough away.    
  


From then, it had been a long walk. About thirty miles, according to Nathaniel. They’d been trekking along all night. For Bart, the distance would have been no problem, if he’d known where he was going. At age eleven, he hadn’t yet learned to break the sound barrier, but he could get pretty damn close. Running 750 miles per hour, Bart could have gotten to the bunker in two and a half minutes. Instead, it took he and Nathaniel ten hours walking through the dirt at normal human speed. It had killed Bart to go so slow, but he knew there was no other way around it. 

 

By the time mid-afternoon of the next day had rolled around, they’d made it to the hill. Nathaniel had said the bunker was built into the other side. 

 

It was smart. The hill was a treacherous one. Even people who did know about the bunker’s existence would have an extremely difficult time getting to it. There was no clear path up the mountain, and every step was like a leap of faith. Gravel and small rocks tumbled down the slope on either side, and finding handholds or footholds was near impossible. You had to continue moving if you didn’t want to slide back down to the bottom. It was steep, and there wasn’t a single spot where you could find purchase and pause. It took an all-out sprint to reach the top. 

 

Bart hadn’t expected Nathaniel to be as athletic as he was. The man had to have been at least in his mid to late fifties, yet he’d been able to scale the mountain just like Bart had. Nathaniel was full of surprises. 

 

When they reached the peak, Bart looked out over the horizon. 

* * *

“Home, sweet home,” Bart sighed. 

 

Luckily, the top of the mountain was relatively flat compared to its sides. After making it up the slope, Bart had paused to take a breather and look out at the landscape. At the bottom of the hill, in the direction Bart was now looking, were the remains of a familiar satellite. The very satellite that had been serving as the League and team’s headquarters back in the past. The Watchtower. 

 

Bart gently placed Jaime down on the ground. He still didn’t look any better than he had on the Reach ship. When Bart put a hand to his forehead, his palm came back sweating. Surely, it couldn’t be good for Jaime to be running as high of a fever as he was. Bart needed to get him somewhere cool, fast. Khaji Da had said that Jaime hadn’t suffered any brain damage from hypoxia, but Bart knew that high fevers could induce seizures, and he really didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it if his boyfriend collapsed into convulsions. 

 

After taking a few minutes to gather himself, the speedster heaved Jaime up into his arms again and began slowly making his way back down the mountain. 

 

“No one thought we’d be living out of Mount Justice again.” Bart let out a laugh. “I lived here for two years before coming to the past, and I didn’t even know it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be shy to leave comments! I won't bite!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/paintingwithdarkness)


	8. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry takes time to reflect on his relationship with Bart, and take into account his grandson's prior behaviors. 
> 
> Jaime's in for a shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So I think now that I'm really into the thick of where I want this story to go, the chapters are going to progressively get longer as I go. That being said, it's probably going to be longer in between updates. Sorry, but I am a slow writer XD. That's just the reality of it.

Martian Manhunter and the Flash were officially caught up on the story. 

 

“So, the scarab that gives Jaime his powers in the real world- our time- is no longer attached to him in this mind scenario he and Bart are in,” Barry stated for clarity. 

 

“Yes,” Miss Martian answered. 

 

“And the scenario they’re in is Bart’s future?” the blond man asked. 

 

M’gann gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Not… exactly. It’s probably very similar- of course, none of us  _ really _ know because we weren’t there in person- but Bart’s mind has subconsciously changed some of the details so that what he’s currently experiencing makes sense with our continuity. We stopped the invasion here three years ago. Bart knows that, but somewhere in his mind, there’s a fear that everything with the Reach might not be over for good. He said that his real reason for coming to the past was to prevent the Reach from taking over. A big part of that was making sure they couldn’t put Blue Beetle on mode. In the mindscape that he’s created, he failed in his mission to prevent the take over. Some factor- if I had to guess, the removal of the scarab from Jaime- allowed the Reach to win in this scenario. This is Bart’s worst fear come to life. He and Jaime are stuck in what Bart imagines our future can become.” 

 

Barry frowned. That was not what he had wanted to hear. He didn’t want his grandson having such strong doubts. Bart was a hero, and he had accomplished everything he’d come to the past to do. Barry didn’t want Bart to feel like he had failed, or that he hadn’t done enough.

 

Hearing about what had happened in the scenario was shocking, to say the least. Barry’d had no idea just how bad the future his grandson had grown up in was. He’d overheard Bart share minor details about it with various members of the team, but only when directly prompted, and he only ever gave enough information to sate the curiosity of whoever had asked. When he’d first arrived in this time, Bart had flat out lied about everything. Getting the small details out of him that they had was progress, but Barry knew Bart was still playing a lot of his cards close to his chest. 

 

Come to think of it, there had been a handful of times Barry could remember where Bart had messed up and accidentally said something he shouldn’t have, or had acted in a way that was uncharacteristic for the teen he’d gotten to know. During the time, Barry had just passed things off and let them go, but now he was beginning to realize that in those sparse moments, Bart had been letting his real character shine through. 

 

_ “I’ve always dreamed of doing this. I mean, when you were young and I didn’t have to worry about breaking you, Gramps.”  _ Barry should have caught the way Bart had paused. His second sentence had been a coverup. M’gann had told Barry her theory about him being dead during Bart’s original time. If that were the case, then it made sense why Bart had been so enthusiastic to see him. It would have been Bart’s first time meeting him. Thinking back to it, Barry kind of regretted not returning Bart’s hug, even if it had been a little too tight. It would have at least given the kid a little validation. 

 

_ “Don’t answer that!” _ It  _ was _ awfully funny that Bart had shown up right before the call about Neutron’s attack downtown. The kid had clearly known it was going to happen. Barry could see that now.

 

 Bart hadn’t wanted him to go.  _ “Aha, I mean, w-why interrupt the reunion?” _ Another coverup, and a poor one at that. The nervous laugh and stutter should have clued Barry in that there was something Bart was hiding.

 

_ “Oh, come on, Grandpa! Let the League handle this guy. I mean, how often does a relative from the future show up at your door?”  _ Another excuse for Barry not to go. Bart really had tried all that he could to prevent Barry from going on the mission without revealing anything too major. 

 

If Barry was being honest, at the time, he hadn’t really known what to do with Bart. The kid had shown up suddenly, claiming family relations to him, Iris and Wally, and then hugged everyone within the vicinity. It had been disconcerting. Bart had been a stranger. Barry hadn’t had the time necessary to really sort through all of the information that had been disclosed before the call about Neutron had come through. Now he suddenly had a grandson, and had found out that his wife was pregnant- with twins! Two life-changing events. The news honestly couldn’t have come at a worse time. 

 

Being in that confused mindset, Barry hadn’t really thought about what he’d said to Bart next.  _ “Listen, I- ugh, I’ll deal with you later. Stay put.” _ Great first impression. Barry had not only talked down to Bart, but he’d also sounded annoyed.  _ “I’ll deal with you later.” _ Yeah, that had to have made Bart feel loved. Here the kid was, trying to save his life, and Barry had treated him like a nuisance. Granted, Barry hadn’t known anything about Bart’s future at the time, or that going on the mission to stop Neutron could result in his death, but he still shouldn’t have treated Bart like he had. And it had been really stupid of him to actually think that Bart would follow his directions. 

 

_ “I told you not to come!” _ Like that would have stopped him. Barry now knew that when Bart had his mind set on something, no one could change it. His grandson was nothing if not determined. 

 

_ “I wanna see you beat the bad guy! In person! In your prime!” _ Barry had raised an eyebrow after hearing that. The “in person” bit had thrown him off. Why wouldn’t Bart have been able to see him beat bad guys in his own time? Bart had thrown in the “in your prime” piece to distract him from the slip up. Barry had attributed the fact that he would have been older in Bart’s time to him not being able to see Barry fighting villains- not the fact that he was dead. 

 

_ “Wait, his name’s Neutron?” _ Barry was sure he hadn’t heard anyone mention the villain’s name. 

 

_ “Yeah, sure, heard him shout it. Y'know, like bad guys do. ‘I’m Neutron! All of you will die!’ Anyway, what’s the plan?” _ Bart was a quick thinker. Barry hadn’t realized that Bart knew the villain’s name because he knew about the attack and Barry’s subsequent death. He’d believed Bart when he said he’d heard the baddie mention his name, even if the theatrics were overselling his lie. 

 

That was actually something Bart did a lot. He acted cocky. 

 

_ “What kind of meat is this guy? He’s never gonna hit us with those.” _

 

_ “No. Speedy’s the other guy. Though history books were really unclear on the why.” _

 

_ “Just follow our lead, Kid!” _

 

_ “You don’t have the Allen-family eyes.”  _

 

Surely no one had an ego that big. Those remarks had been Bart putting on a show. He’d been trying out a character. Knowing then what he did now, Barry would have seen the act for what it was. In reality, Bart was actually a sweet kid. He was humble and cared about others. After all, that was why he’d kept all of this a secret. That was why everything that Barry and the team were finding out today was so shocking. Bart hadn’t told any of them about the future because he hadn’t wanted anyone to look at him like a pity case. He didn’t want anyone to feel sad, or concerned for him. 

 

Bart was really mature for his age. That was something Barry had noticed. Sure, there were times when Bart cracked jokes or made comments to draw attention to himself, but it always looked forced. Like he was trying too hard to fit in, or get people to like him. And that was where it really hurt. Bart hadn’t had a normal childhood. From what M’gann had told Barry about the scenario and how Bart had reacted to everything, that was abundantly clear. Bart had probably never had a real friend before. He didn’t know how to interact with other people his age. In coming to the past, he’d thought he had to put on a show to make himself likeable. He hadn’t realized that real friendship was built on trust, and that acting like yourself, and having someone accept you for who you are was what made those relationships last. For Bart, everything had been about gaining as many allies as possible to help fight the Reach. And now that the threat was over, Barry could tell Bart was struggling.

 

He didn’t need to put on the act anymore. And Barry could tell that Bart was confused. The people around him- Jay, Joan, the team, Iris, Jaime, and Barry, himself- continued to stick close to him, even though Bart wasn’t trying as hard. Slowly, but surely, Barry realized, Bart had begun to understand. He could act like himself and people would still like him. 

 

Over the three year period between the Reach invasion and now, Barry had to admit, he’d seen a significant change in the way Bart acted. He was happier. He was genuine. And he was smart. The cocky/serious, lying, aloof thirteen year old Barry had met in 2016 had changed for the better. 

 

Barry had thought Bart had moved past all of the drama that had gone down during the invasion. But of course, to quote Martian Manhunter, “trauma tends to linger”. Barry should have seen the signs for what they were. 

 

Bart hadn’t cried at Wally’s funeral. Or Jay’s. Or Joan’s. He had been the only dry-eyed person in the crowd. Even his friend, Jaime, who had gone with Bart to each of the Garrick’s memorial services to support the speedster had cried, despite not knowing either of the old folks all that well. Wally was Bart’s cousin. Bart had lived in the Garricks’ house for two years. There was definitely some emotional attachment to each of those people, yet Bart had acted like everything was fine. The poor kid had been desensitized to death. He was sixteen, and he had already watched so many people die that he could remain emotionless throughout a funeral service. That fact made Barry sick. He realized that it wasn’t Bart’s fault, but knowing that didn’t make it any less wrong. 

 

The other thing that bothered Barry were the nightmares. Bart denied having them. Even three years after Bart had escaped his own timeline, and all of the business that had gone down with the Reach, he still woke up in the middle of the night. Barry hadn’t taken Jay seriously when he’d first told him. Barry had passed it off with a “everyone has nightmares every once in awhile” attitude. He hadn’t realized how frequent Bart was having them, or how traumatic they were. Not until Bart had moved in with he and Iris. 

 

The first time it happened, Bart had screamed so loud he woke the entire house. Both Barry and Iris had raced to his room to see what the matter was, two curious toddlers on their heels. But when Barry had cracked open the door to see if his grandson was okay, Bart was tucked under the covers “fast asleep”. Iris may have missed it, but Barry caught the ragged breaths Bart had been muffling with his comforter. When Iris had gone to put the twins back to bed, Barry had crept into Bart’s room and flicked on the light. 

 

“I know you’re awake.” And that probably hadn’t been the best way to go about things. “Want to talk about it?” 

 

Bart gave a fake yawn. “Talk about what?” His head popped up from the pillow and he turned over to look at Barry. Damn, the kid was a good actor. There was no trace of the nightmare on Bart’s features. No tear tracks, no haunted eyes, and he had even made his voice sound like he truly had just been roused from sleep. 

 

Barry blinked back at him from across the room. “Iris and I thought we heard you scream.” 

 

Bart wrinkled his brow. “Nope. I was asleep til you came and woke me up.” He tried a crack at humor. 

 

To say Barry had been confused was an understatement. Bart’s performance had made him doubt he’d even heard the scream in the first place. Barry had returned to bed that night thinking he and Iris had made the whole thing up. It wasn’t until the second nightmare that things really became clear to Barry. 

 

It had only been about a week since the first nightmare. This time, there had been no scream. It was completely coincidental that Barry had even found out about it at all. He’d gotten up to go to the bathroom and had overheard Bart talking to someone in his room. 

 

_ “Another one?” _ Barry heard the voice of the person Bart was talking to. He felt slightly guilty eavesdropping on the conversation, but the teary voice his grandson answered in compelled him to press an ear up against Bart’s bedroom door. 

 

“Yeah.” Barry could hear Bart sniffle. 

 

_ “Which one was it this time, Cariño?” _ Ah, so it was Jaime Bart was talking to. The older boy always spoke in a mixture of English and Spanish. Unfortunately, Barry didn’t speak a lick of the latter, but Bart had had Jaime over enough times that Barry knew the word he’d just heard was a friendly nickname. He’d heard that one amongst several others Jaime used when he and Bart bantered. He’d even heard his grandson return a few of the names, like hermano, and amigo. In all honesty, Barry liked Jaime. Jaime was a good kid, and Barry was happy that Bart had a genuine friend. A friend that Bart felt comfortable talking to about his nightmares.

 

“Mom.” Bart’s response was only one word, but Barry knew the weight it held. Bart had never, not once, mentioned anything about his mother since coming to this timeline. It was kind of like the elephant in the room no one had bothered to address. Bart was plenty happy to talk about Don, and to call the toddler ‘Dad’, despite Iris telling him not to, but Bart’s mother was off limits. To tell the truth, Barry didn’t know if anyone had ever even asked Bart about his mother. He knew that neither he or Iris had because it would have been awkward, what with Don being their son and all, but Barry had never actually heard anything about the woman who would supposedly be marrying his son in the future. 

 

_ “Oh, Amor. Lo siento mucho.” _ Barry didn’t have a single clue as to what any of the words in Jaime’s response meant, but he could tell by the tone that they were supposed to be comforting. 

 

Bart muffled a sob into what the older speedster guessed was the comforter. “I-I know that it-it wasn’t my fault, b-but-” Bart was choking up so much he couldn’t finish the sentence. 

 

_ “I know, Amorcito. It wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry that happened.” _ Barry could tell by his tone that Jaime was as heartbroken to hear Bart cry as he was himself. This was the first time Barry had ever heard Bart this open. The teenager never talked about his feelings, and rarely let emotions flit openly across his visage. Hearing Bart so upset was hard. 

 

_ “I’m sorry that  _ all _ of it happened. I’m sorry that you had to go through any of it.” _ And now Barry was worried. What was Jaime talking about? Clearly, Bart had told the Latino about more than just this one nightmare. So what was it that Bart hadn’t told the rest of them? What exactly had Bart been through? 

 

His grandson sniffed again. “Not your fault either, Blue.” 

 

_ “I know, Cariño. I know.” _

 

That was when Barry had stepped away from the door. He’d listened to enough to get what was going on. Bart was having nightmares more frequently than Barry had thought. Back when he’d first moved in with the Garricks, Jay had told Barry that Bart was having bad dreams practically every night. At the time, Barry had just thought that Jay was exaggerating. Surely, no one could have nightmares  _ every  _ night. And even if Bart had been having nightmares as frequently as Jay claimed, the kid was getting therapy. Everyone on the team was required to have mandatory therapy sessions with Dinah once a month. When exposing kids to violence and crime fighting at the young ages the members of the team were at, it was a necessary precaution. 

 

In order to join the Young Justice League team, you had to be at least thirteen, and have the permission of your legal guardian(s). When Bart had joined the team, he’d been the youngest he could be. Even with all of the new members the team had recently added (and lost), Bart was the youngest amongst them. He’d had to get Jay and Joan’s permission to join, being that the older man and his wife had signed up to be his legal guardians. 

 

But now that Barry was really thinking about it, he could understand why Bart hadn’t told anyone about the nightmares. He hadn’t exactly had anyone to talk to. Jay and Joan were his guardians, sure, but Bart had no real relations to either of them, and he had moved in after barely meeting them. Barry and Iris Bart was related to, but he only saw them every once in awhile at Flash family functions, or on missions. Wally had had his life with Artemis. Bart’s father was currently a toddler. And while Bart was being required to have his sessions with Black Canary, it was likely that he just didn’t trust the woman enough to keep what he told her confidential. She would likely go and tell Barry or Jay, who Bart had been intentionally avoiding telling. His only real option had been Jaime, as his closest friend. 

 

Taking everything into account, it was no wonder all of Bart’s fears, and doubts, and haunted memories were just now coming to everyone’s attention. It was all coming to a head due to this exercise Miss Martian had initiated, and Bart was going to have to deal with the consequences, whether he really deserved them or not.   

* * *

The bunker was just as Bart remembered it. Home, sweet home. When Nathaniel had first shown the place to Bart, he’d been ecstatic. He’d been sleeping outside for the past three years straight. It was nice to finally have a safe place indoors (or as indoors as you could get) to relax and get a good night’s rest. Unfortunately, neither he or Nathaniel had known who originally built or owned the bunker, but it had been abandoned when Neut had found it, and he’d been happy to share the space with Bart. For the next two years, it had been their home. 

Knowing now what he hadn’t then, Bart had a little more appreciation for whoever had created the bunker. Everything within it had been salvaged from the wreckage of the cave after the explosion. Despite the fact that the team had been operating out of the Watchtower for the past three years Bart could actually remember, seeing the old items from the cave brought on a happy wave of nostalgia. 

As soon as Bart had gotten the heavy metal door sealed behind him (a part salvaged from the fallen Watchtower), he’d raced over and deposited Jaime on the single full-sized bed in the middle of the room (which team member’s bed it was, Bart didn’t know, but the thing had survived the explosion). Unfortunately, it didn’t have any sheets (he and Nathaniel had swiped some sleeping bags from a couple of unsuspecting scavengers in the camp at the bottom of the hill to use as covers), but the creaky, caved-in mattress was better than the floor, so for now, it would suffice. 

Bart looked around. The bunker was relatively small, though Bart couldn’t expect more. The structural integrity of the mountain had been all but destroyed in the explosion. Whoever had taken the time to haul enough boulders away to create this little cave must have been exhausted afterwards. Plus, they’d had to scavenge for everything that was here. In addition to the bed, a faucet (homestyle; so retro) had been installed in a corner of the room and sectioned off with a clear sheet of plastic. It didn’t offer much privacy, but it was crash to have a reliable source of running water, even if that meant showers were always ice cold. Unfortunately, there was no sink, so he and Nathaniel had also used the faucet for their drinking water and to wash their clothes. 

Against the opposite wall from the ‘shower' was a bookshelf. It was a rickety old thing, but it served its purpose. It had always been a good place to store food and other items he and Nathaniel scavenged and the lower shelf was at the perfect height to serve as a desk, along with the wooden chair that had been pulled up in front of it (he and Nathaniel had spent nights crouched together in front of the bookcase with blueprints for the time machine spread out on the shelf in front of them, pens, pencils, crayons- anything they could get their hands on, really- twirling as they sorted out the math and mechanics). 

And last, but not least, was the toilet. Or rather, ‘toilet’. The thing was really just a five-gallon bucket with a plastic seat attached to the top by means of blue-colored duct tape. With no sewer lines (the Reach had no use for them, what with their ships, and all of the slaves had been expected to find some place to go outside), that was really the best that could be done. Bart had no idea where the toilet seat had come from, but it was certainly better being able to sit down to poop than having to squat, so he would thank the ingenuity and the duct taping skills of the ‘toilet’s’ creator.  

All provided accommodations aside, Bart would still need to go scavenging. There was not a single trace of food in the bunker, and he and Jaime would starve soon if they didn’t find some quick. Additionally, finding clothes (because it was NOT a good idea for Bart to continue wearing his Kid Flash uniform; that would definitely draw unwanted attention, and hello, Jaime was still in nothing but his boxers) would present a challenge. If he could find some sleeping bags or blankets for the bed, that would be crash, and a backpack or bag of some kind could also come in handy. Unfortunately, personal hygiene items like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and combs would be a little harder to find, but he and Jaime could make do without for the time being, if push really came to shove. Bart just hoped neither one of them got sick. Medicine had been a luxury during the future. Even something as common as Ibuprofen or Aspirin were in the past could go for a whole month’s food supply in the future. 

And speaking of getting sick, Jaime still wasn’t looking so good. Now that all of the adrenaline from escaping the Reach ship and getting himself and his boyfriend to the bunker safely had worn off, Bart was stressing over Jaime’s health. Khaji Da had said he would be fine, but Bart really did not like that he was shivering, and running a fever, and that a cold sweat had broken out over his normally tan skin. Jaime was paler than usual. Bart could see that, even under all of the blood his boyfriend was still covered in. Bart was covered in it too. If Bart hadn’t already panicked about Jaime’s temporary death on the Reach ship, he certainly would have over the alarming amount of red that was caked on the Latino and soaked into his own Kid Flash suit. He probably should try to clean them up a little. 

With a groan, Bart managed to hoist Jaime up again and carry him the small distance over to the faucet. Using the cave wall as a support for himself, Bart carefully situated Jaime so that he could hold him up with a single arm around his chest. With his now free hand, Bart reached for the knob to operate the water flow. He absolutely abhorred the idea of drenching Jaime in icy water when he was already trembling so hard, but Bart didn’t really see any other option. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob. 

It took a few seconds before a weak stream trickled from the spicket. Due to the initial rusty color of the water, it was obvious to Bart that the tap hadn’t been used in awhile. That probably meant the original owner of the bunker had abandoned it by now (Bart wasn’t sure which year he and his boyfriend were in) and he and Jaime wouldn’t have to deal with any awkward run-ins (thank god). 

When the water did eventually clear, Bart shuffled forward along the wall to get both of them within range of the spray. The coldness of the water was immediately enough to get Bart shivering and had apparently caused enough of a shock to Jaime’s body that he sputtered awake. 

“Ohmygodyou’reokay!” Bart’s first reaction was to press a relieved kiss against the dazed, older boy’s lips. 

Unfortunately, his second reaction couldn’t afford to be as pleasant as the first. When he eventually pulled away from Jaime’s mouth and really looked at him, Bart let out a curse. Jaime’s pupils were blown to the size of dimes, nearly swallowing up all of his cowbrown irises. He was gasping and the trembling that he had been doing before grew more intense. Bart could feel his boyfriend’s body temperature dropping rapidly from the burning heat of the fever it had been at to a chilling freeze. Jaime wasn’t supporting his own weight. 

“Shit!” Bart made a mad scramble to get Jaime out from under the spray. He’d seen enough people die in the future to know the different types of shock and the symptoms. 

Bart snatched the chair that had been sitting in front of the bookshelf and gently sat Jaime down on it. The dazed look on his face was terrifying. The usual luster that Bart loved seeing in his eyes was absent and when the speedster pressed his fingers against the side of Jaime’s neck, he could feel the older boy’s pulse fluttering rapidly. 

Bart knelt down in front of Jaime. “Hey, Blue? Can you hear me?” He tried to keep his voice calm and level, despite the amount of hysteria he was feeling. 

Jaime’s head lolled slightly and he gave a slow blink. 

Bart continued talking. “IreallywishIhadablanketorsomethingtohelpwarmyouupbutIdon’tandIreallydon’tknowwhattodoandIjustwantyoutobeokaybuteverythingismodedrightnowandwe’restuckinthefuturethatIcamebacktopreventandIfailedmymissionandI’mreallysorryJaime-” 

Bart only realized that he was crying when Jaime slowly raised an eyebrow in confusion and reached forward with a sluggish arm to place a palm on Bart’s cheek. The younger boy immediately stopped the flow of words that was coming from his mouth. He had to get himself together. 

He had been stupid in thinking it was a good idea to expose Jaime to the freezing cold water when his body had previously been running so hot from the fever. The sudden change from one extreme temperature to the other had sent the older boy into a state of shock. It hadn’t helped that Jaime had lost so much blood on the Reach ship and gone into hypovolemic shock there (Bart had seen people in the future stumble around dizzily and in confusion, vomiting blood before dying because they had sustained injuries from Reach soldiers), but now he was going into hypothermic shock due to the sudden cold. 

Quickly, Bart stripped out of his soaked Kid Flash suit, leaving him in his briefs. He had stupidly soaked himself in the shower too. On the bright side, at least Bart could quickly get himself dry, even if he couldn’t do the same for Jaime. By vibrating his body at a different frequency than the molecules within the water droplets were vibrating, he could cause them to slide right off his skin, leaving him completely dry. That at least solved one problem. 

Kneeling down in front of Jaime again, Bart began quickly rubbing his hands together. He could use friction to produce heat. When his palms were warm to the touch, he gently placed one on each of Jaime’s cheeks. They were both ice cold. When Bart ran a thumb over Jaime’s lips, he noticed that those were frigid too. Without hesitating, the younger boy leaned forward to initiate a kiss. It was worth a shot, right?

As Bart slowly coaxed Jaime out of his confused daze and into the familiar motions of the kiss, he ran his hands up and down Jaime’s bare arms, trying to get some warmth into the limbs. Bart pressed himself close until he and Jaime were chest to chest; skin to skin. Since Bart wasn’t wet anymore, and was actually producing a good amount of his own body heat, he was hoping that the proximity would help to transfer some of that heat to Jaime. Since Bart didn’t have any warm fluids to give his boyfriend, or a blanket to wrap around him, this was as good as it was going to get. Plus, if Bart was really being honest, this probably would have been the route he’d prefer, even if the other options had been available. 

When Bart could feel Jaime beginning to finally kiss him back, he smiled into it. His hands stilled on Jaime’s broad shoulders when his boyfriend slowly, but surely wrapped his arms around Bart’s waist, pulling him closer. He could feel Jaime’s skin gradually warming up against his, and he knew Jaime’s confusion was draining away bit by bit as his kissing got more and more confident with each passing minute. 

When they pulled away from one another, Bart rested his forehead against Jaime’s and looked into his eyes. The luster was back, and his pupils were no longer so territorial. Bart could actually see the shining chocolate irises he adored so much. “Hey,” he whispered. 

“Hola, Cariño,” Jaime warmly breathed back. He pecked Bart again, tenderly. 

Bart smiled. “Glad to see you’re feeling the aster. You had me really worried, Babe.” 

Jaime gave a small chuckle. “Lo siento, Amor. I’ll try not to be as moded in the future.” 

Bart’s smile immediately dropped. “About that…” Bart removed a hand from Jaime so that he could run it through his hair nervously. “We need to talk.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Jaime's okay now! I know some of you were concerned for him. No need to worry! I love Blue too much to do any serious harm to him. Bart would probably kill me if I did anyway. 
> 
> As always, comments, questions, critiques, criticisms, compliments and suggestions are all welcome! Feel free to leave your thoughts below! 
> 
> You can also find me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/paintingwithdarkness)


	9. Reaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Bart and Jaime's relationship status has been made public, how will the team react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* If I'm being honest, this wasn't my favorite chapter to write. It turned out pretty ooc, at least in my opinion, so I apologize in advance. I know a lot of you were looking forward to it. It honestly has been one of the hardest chapters to write so far, which is why it has taken awhile for the update (sorry). But I tried, and hopefully it's better than I think it is? IDK you guys are really the judges of that, so I guess you'll have to let me know. I'm trying to get back into the swing of this story since it's been a little while. I hope this chapter isn't too much of a disappointment.

Bianca had been in the process of making dinner when the doorbell rang. 

 

“¡Lo conseguiré!” she heard Milagro yell, followed just after by her footsteps pounding down the stairs. 

 

“¡Milagro, no corras en la casa!” Bianca sighed exasperatedly. No matter how many times she said it, her kids were going to continue to ignore the rule. Even Jaime still did it on occasion, and he was nineteen. 

 

As Milagro flung the front door open, Bianca popped her head out of the kitchen to see who the visitor was. 

 

“Hi!” Bianca watched as Milagro greeted the man standing on the porch. He was tall, well-muscled, and had blond hair, shaved down closely to his scalp. His eyes were the color of seafoam, and despite the popped collar on the jacket he was wearing, Bianca could see what she thought were gills on either side of the man’s throat. 

 

“Hello,” he returned Milagro’s greeting. “Would it be alright if I came in?” Bianca caught his gaze when his eyes shifted over to her. 

 

Quickly, Mrs. Reyes wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing and walked to the door to properly invite the man in. “Come in! Come in!” she encouraged, pulling the door open wider. 

 

“Thank you.” Bianca took his hand when he offered it to her to shake. When she did, she noticed that the man’s fingers were webbed. She tried not to let the surprise show on her face. 

 

“My name is Kaldur’ahm,” the man said. Bianca recognized the name, despite never having met the Atlantian before. 

 

“Ah! Aquaman, yes. My son has mentioned you.” 

 

The smile Kaldur gave was tight-lipped. “Nothing too bad, I hope.” 

 

Bianca gave him a reassuring smile. Jaime had told her the whole story about Aqualad’s seeming betrayal and how it had really ended up being a ruse that he and Artemis had been playing on the Light. If Jaime trusted this man after everything that had gone on, then Bianca would too. Her son had always been a pretty good judge of character where it counted. Plus, Bianca knew how Jaime felt about being made to work with the bad guys. When he’d explained, he’d said Kaldur had made the choices he had in order to give the team a leg up in fighting the Light. Jaime, on the other hand, had had no say in the matter when he’d been controlled by the Reach. Jaime had said that if the team was able to forgive him for everything that he had done while on mode, then Kaldur deserved the same mercies. 

 

Bianca gave the younger man a reassuring smile. “All good things,” she said, gently guiding Kaldur further into the house. “Why don’t you have a seat?” 

 

Bianca offered the Atlantian an armchair in the middle of the living room. She sat down on the couch across from him. When she took the time to actually get a good look at Kaldur, she could tell that the purpose of his visit was not going to be a good one, based solely off of his expression. Bianca felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Jaime had said that Aquaman was now co-leading the Justice League with Wonder Woman. By now Bianca figured, Kaldur was probably used to being the bearer of bad news. It was an unfortunately large burden to place on such a young person’s shoulders. 

 

“Did something happen to Jaime?” She cut straight to the chase. If something was wrong with her son, she wanted to know as soon as possible. With him being a superhero, Bianca was constantly worried about Jaime’s safety. He was going out and fighting dangerous villains, monsters, and evil aliens on the daily. Jaime had even told her that the team’s base of operations was an orbiting satellite in space! As his mother, it was only natural for her to worry about him. Ever since he had joined the team, she had had a fear gnawing away in her stomach, telling her that one day, Jaime was going to meet an adversary too big for him to handle, and that he was going to get hurt. Based on Kaldur’s expression, Bianca was starting to think that today may be that day. 

 

“Is Mr. Reyes here as well?” Now Bianca was really getting worried. That didn’t sound good. “This may not be news you will want to have to repeat.” 

 

Bianca tried not to let the worry she was feeling leak into her tone. “Milagro, encuentra a tu padre y tráelo aquí, por favor.” The ten year old was still standing by the front door, having been watching the exchange between Bianca and their Atlantian visitor. 

 

“Okay, Mami.” Milagro turned and ran off to carry out the order. 

 

Bianca sighed. “¡No corras!” she called after her, uselessly. 

 

When she turned back to the dark skinned man in the chair across from her, she caught the tail-end of a faint smile fading from his lips. Bianca chuckled. 

 

“Don’t have kids,” she groaned playfully. “They’re so much work!” 

 

Kaldur laughed. “My partner and I would need to consider adoption if we wanted children, however, I believe that that decision is still a while away.” 

 

Bianca immediately caught on. “How long have you and your boyfriend been together?” 

 

The smile on Kaldur’s face made a return. “It has been about two years now.” 

 

“That’s wonderful!” 

 

Bianca thought she could see the faintest of blushes dusting the Atlantian’s cheeks. “Wynnde is not as fond of the surface world as I am, I’m afraid. Our visits are limited to the time I spend in Atlantis. I do think, however, that I am in love with him.” Bianca watched as Kaldur fidgeted his hands in his lap. 

 

“That’s very nice. I’m sure this Wynnde is a wonderful man. I just hope that Jaime will find himself in a loving relationship like yours someday.” 

 

“Mi hijo es un ladykiller. I bet he has all of those little superhero chicas he’s told us about lined up for him-”

 

“ _ Berto! _ ” Bianca turned towards her husband, who had just entered the room, with an aghast look on her face. Considering the leader of the Justice League was sitting in their living room, Bianca didn’t think Alberto making misogynistic comments about the members of the team their son was on would be taken kindly. 

 

Alberto laughed. “Lo siento. Milagro said you needed to see me?” He turned towards Bianca expectantly. 

 

The Hispanic woman cleared her throat and directed a nod in Kaldur’s direction. When her husband acknowledged the visitor, he went round to sit down on the couch next to her. 

 

Kaldur offered his hand. “My name is Kaldur’ahm.” 

 

Bianca watched as Alberto reached to take Aquaman’s hand. She could tell the exact moment her husband noticed the webbing between the Atlantian’s fingers. She bit her lip. Unfortunately, her husband was not as progressive as she happened to be, and Bianca feared Alberto would make a scene. 

 

“Alberto,” he introduced himself, shortly. Bianca let go of the breath she was holding when he didn’t say anything more. 

 

Kaldur and Alberto both settled back into their respective seats. Bianca could feel her husband’s fingers brushing her shoulder when he threw his arm over the back of the couch. 

 

“I apologize for such an untimely visit, but I need to inform you of some developments currently concerning your son. I am afraid Jaime will be indisposed for the foreseeable future.” 

 

There was a brief moment of silence while Bianca and Alberto processed the news. Then Alberto exploded. 

 

“Indisposed?! What is that supposed to mean?!” Bianca gasped as her husband sprang up from the couch in a fury. She grabbed his wrist both in an attempt to help calm him down, and to prevent him from getting up in Kaldur’s face. Despite the news, Bianca knew that everyone needed to stay as calm as possible to prevent any conflict. 

 

Kaldur frowned. “Jaime is currently in a psychic trance. I am afraid that there is no way to wake him at the current time. Miss Martian, the team’s resident telepath, is working on the situation as we speak. I regret to say that your son’s current condition is the result of a training exercise gone wrong. No one anticipated things turning out this way.” 

 

Bianca could feel Alberto straining against her grip on his wrist. “Explain to me what happened,” he demanded. “From the beginning.” 

 

“As leader of the team, Miss Martian is in charge of its members’ training. She suggested this morning that your son, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Static, Thirteen, Forager, Geoforce and Halo participate in a new mental stimulation exercise, designed to build trust and strengthen teamwork amongst them. The team partnered up, and then each pair was introduced to the exercise. Jaime paired up with Kid Flash.” 

 

Bianca blinked slowly, taking in the new information. “You mean Bart?” she asked. 

 

Kaldur nodded. 

 

The entire Reyes family knew of Bart’s superhero alias. Jaime had had the younger boy over to the house more times than Bianca could count. Ever since the two had met, they had been practically glued at the hip. All of Jaime’s other friends: Tye, Brenda, Paco, and that new girl, Traci, were never over as often as the auburn-haired boy. By this point, he was practically a second son to Bianca. Despite eating half the pantry whenever Jaime had him over, he never complained about the cooking (something both of her children did on occasion), and was always polite, offering to help set the table, clean up, and do dishes whenever he was over for meals. Plus, Bianca could see how happy Jaime was whenever the younger boy was around. Even with his other friends, Bianca had never seen her son’s eyes so bright, or his smile so wide. At the moment, all she had was a mother’s intuition to go on, but Bianca had a feeling Jaime wasn’t quite as straight as he claimed to be. She could see the glances Jaime cast at Bart when he thought no one was looking, and the way he would laugh or smile at everything the other boy said. It was obvious to her that Jaime had feelings for Bart that were more than just friendly in nature. 

 

Bianca had no problems if Jaime ever decided he wanted to start a relationship with Bart. He was a very nice boy, and very cute as well. The two would make a nice couple. The only thing that disappointed Bianca was the fact that Jaime was too scared to admit his feelings to anyone. 

 

But she knew why he was so reluctant. She and Alberto had brought both Jaime and Milagro up as Catholic. Bianca knew that there was the potential there for Jaime to develop a guilt complex. Homosexuality was not looked upon favorably by the Catholic church, and most religions in general, from what Bianca had heard. Plus, there was the issue of Alberto’s more traditional views. Bianca knew that Jaime worked hard to impress his father. He’d been working in the auto shop the past two summers, had stellar school grades, and was now a superhero to boot. Bianca couldn’t be any prouder of him. But she knew her husband was a more difficult nut to crack. He respected Jaime for the man he was becoming, but Bianca could tell that there were still some things Alberto was expecting of Jaime that her son had not yet gotten grips on. Coming out as gay (or bisexual? Bianca wasn’t quite sure exactly how her son identified) would certainly not win him any points with his father. Once Alberto had an opinion formed on something, Bianca knew it was very difficult to change his mind.

 

“Bart is in this psychic trance as well?” Bianca trained her thoughts back on the conversation. 

 

“Yes,” Aquaman answered. His seafoam eyes locked on Bianca’s own brown. “When Jaime and Kid Flash first entered the training scenario, Kid mentally lashed out at Miss Martian, who was controlling the link between him and Jaime. When this happened, Miss Martian lost control of the scenario, and was kicked out of their minds. She was able to reestablish a link with Bart, but is unfortunately unable to to control any of what is going on, or pull either boy out of the trance.” 

 

Bianca could feel Alberto shaking in barely restrained anger. She tightened her grip on his wrist, but she felt it would do little to keep the menace out of his voice. 

 

“What does this mean for Jaime?” His tone was clipped. 

 

Bianca could see that Kaldur was uncomfortable but putting on a brave face. She didn’t blame him for the situation. As a nurse, Bianca had been on the receiving end of an angry family’s temper before, many times. Despite the fact that Bianca often had to be the one to deliver terrible news to families, the sickness or condition that people’s loved ones were suffering from was never her fault. She was just the outlet for upset families to relinquish all of their feelings onto. That was exactly what Alberto was doing to Kaldur. Bianca could sympathize with him. 

 

“As I stated before,” Kaldur shifted in his seat. “Jaime will be indisposed of for the foreseeable future. Miss Martian and some members of the Justice League are working on the situation as we speak, but for now, that is as it stands. I am sorry.” 

 

Bianca could feel tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She’d seen plenty of coma victims in the many years she had worked in the hospital. From what she had been told, it sounded a lot like what Jaime was currently experiencing. He was trapped within his own mind, in some kind of psychic trance, and couldn’t wake up. 

 

“Is there any way we can see him?” Bianca asked. Despite her previous calm, she was beginning to feel panic creeping up on her. Her son was in a coma. There was no telling how long it would last, or even if Miss Martian would be able to wake him (or Bart, for that matter) up. 

 

Kaldur’s smile was sad. “At this time, I am afraid there is not. You, nor your husband have zeta clearance to the Watchtower. With time, an exception may be able to be made, but given that this situation has only just begun, it may be awhile.” 

 

Bianca felt the tears finally slip down her cheeks. She sucked in a shaky breath. “T-thank you for letting us know.” 

 

Aquaman nodded. “I will keep you updated,” he said, as he stood up from the armchair and made his leave. 

 

When the front door clicked closed, Bianca let out a sob. She felt Alberto’s tense arm wrap around her. 

 

“They will fix our son,” he said, fiercely. 

 

Bianca shook. “Seguro espero que sí.” 

* * *

“Well, I guess it’s not a question of whether or not they’re dating anymore.” 

Barry blinked at the screens, flabbergasted. Bart had just kissed Jaime. His protegé had just kissed an older teammate. His grandson had just kissed another boy. And from the looks of it, the kiss wasn’t their first either. 

It had looked almost like a reflex. The relief Bart was feeling over Jaime’s awakening was written clearly over his face. And Barry had heard it in his voice, the way he had blurted out, “Oh my god, you’re okay!” in true speedster fashion. Something was going on between his grandson and that Beetle Boy and Barry wanted the specifics. 

In the minutes immediately following the kiss, Bart panicked over the state of shock Jaime had fallen into. Apparently the older boy was not as okay as Bart had originally thought. Barry watched as the younger speedster hauled Jaime out of the makeshift shower and over to the chair that was sitting to the side of the room. Then Bart fell to his knees and started sobbing. That definitely was not a good sign. 

When Barry had first entered the mindscape, M’gann had caught him, Martian Manhunter, and the three members of the team up on what had happened in the scenario in their absence. From what Barry had been told, Bart had already had a breakdown over Jaime before escaping the Reach ship they’d been imprisoned on. Khaji Da (Barry had been told that was the name of Jaime’s scarab) had been there, attached to a new host body, and equipped to help heal the Hispanic teen. Despite the way M’gann had phrased things, it was now obvious to Barry that she had severely downplayed just how distraught Bart had acted during the whole ordeal. Barry could only imagine how hard his grandson had sobbed when he’d thought Jaime was dead, if the way he was blubbering on now was any indication.

Bart was speed-talking. Between the tears, the choked off breaths, and the million syllables leaving the kid’s tongue a second, even Barry was having a hard time keeping up. He knew it would be impossible for anyone in the mindspace besides himself to understand it, and from what he  _ could _ understand, Bart was desperate. 

The touch of Jaime’s hand on his cheek was what ultimately snapped Bart out of his hysteria. Even through the mind ‘screens’, Barry could see the flicker of emotions that flashed through Bart’s green eyes before a calm resolve settled over his young, yet weary face. Then Bart was standing up and stripping out of his Kid Flash uniform. What. The. Hell. 

Barry could feel the torrent of confused anger that was building up inside of him. What the hell was Bart thinking? He was naked now, all except for his underwear, and he was hugging and kissing another boy, also dressed in nothing but his underwear. Barry was seeing through a haze of red. 

Bart had never said anything to him, or anyone else about him being in a relationship. Barry didn’t know that his grandson and that Jaime kid were anything more than friends. Hell, Bart had invited the older teen over to the house plenty of times, and Barry hadn’t seen any indication of them being together. There was no telling what the two could have gotten up to when Barry wasn’t looking. After this was all over, he needed to have a stern talk with each of them. 

 

It wasn’t even the fact that Bart was gay that bothered Barry. Sure, it was unexpected, but Barry wasn’t going to chastise his grandson because of a sexuality he had no control over. The thing that was problematic was the fact that Jaime was older than Bart. He didn’t want Bart being pressured into difficult situations he wasn’t ready for. Yes, Bart was a mature kid, but Barry knew there was a limit to how much responsibility someone his age could properly handle. 

To most, an age gap of three years was nothing, but at sixteen and nineteen, that gap could span the Grand Canyon. Jaime was in college now. Bart was still in high school. Fundamentally, both environments shared some similarities, but inevitably they were both very different. In high school, things tended to be more controlled and structured. All of the kids were relatively within the same age bracket, and everyone was taking the same classes and had the same expectations. College on the other hand, offered a wide variety of different activities and classes. The environment was much more chaotic and much was left up to individual choice. People of many different ages, from Jaime’s young nineteen to as old as eighty, could be in attendance and there was no telling what any of those individuals would chose to do at a given time. In an environment where everyone was old enough to legally drink, do drugs and have sex, it was only expected that parties would erupt and people would take advantage of being away from the controlled structure of their parents’ homes to go wild. 

Barry had always thought of Jaime as a good, responsible, intelligent boy. Every time Bart had invited him over, Jaime was always polite, and never did anything that warranted trouble. In fact, it was often the older boy that kept Barry’s grandson from making the irresponsible choices. But that didn’t excuse the fact that Jaime was just at a different stage in his life than Bart. Jaime was considered an adult now, and was living in an adult environment. Bart was still a kid. He still had a few years to mess around and make mistakes and grow and learn. Barry was afraid that being in a relationship with Jaime would pressure Bart to grow up too fast. From what he’d heard from M’gann, Barry knew that Bart had already had a difficult childhood in his past and had matured much faster than any child his age had a right to. Bart deserved a few years to just enjoy being a kid. 

It was likely that Jaime would have different goals, and ambitions and desires at his age than Bart would have at his own. Jaime would be taking on greater responsibilities like finding work and beginning to support himself rather than relying on his parents. Granted, Barry knew that Jaime still lived with his parents, but he was at that stage where people began to branch out and wonder what it would be like to live on their own and take that next step. Bart wasn’t ready for that. Barry knew that being romantically involved with Jaime would make Bart want to follow him everywhere and make him do anything to make Jaime happy. Speedsters were known for their big hearts, after all. But placing a young adult and a mature teenager in an isolated environment together with no supervision? Barry was smart enough to know that hormones could rule a situation more effectively than intelligence. He just didn’t want Bart doing anything that he might regret later on. 

Based on the things he was seeing on ‘screen’, Barry hoped it wasn’t already too late. The two boys were practically a step away from sex. Bart had his arms wrapped around Jaime’s neck, pressed chest to chest with him, and if Jaime moved his hands any lower than where they were resting at Bart’s waist, Barry was going to have to chop them off.  _ Bart _ was the one who had initiated things, and yeah, thinking about it, Barry probably should have seen something like this coming. Bart was sixteen now, and Barry was pretty sure the Garricks had never given him ‘the talk’. That meant the responsibility fell to him. A responsibility that he had not fulfilled. A responsibility that he was now regretting not fulfilling. Seeing the way Jaime and Bart were so comfortable with one another really got him wondering where and when they had found space and time to get to that stage, because as far as he knew, the two hadn’t come out to anyone yet. 

It was true that the boys were close. Even to someone who didn’t know Jaime or Bart, that much was obvious. They were practically attached at the hip. If they weren’t at the Watchtower, or on a mission, they were hanging out together at the Reyes’ house, or at Barry’s own. But just because they spent a lot of time together didn’t mean there had to be anything going on, right? Yes, the two shared a lot of physical contact, but Barry had just passed it off as Bart being overly affectionate, as he tended to be with a lot of people in his life. The touches that lingered longer than necessary were just the boys playing around. Barry didn’t think anything too serious was going on. Bart and Jaime were just close friends. Before now, Barry had never seen them kiss, or hold hands, or mention dating. Bart didn’t refer to Jaime as his boyfriend, and they still used the word ‘amigo’ when talking to one another. For as little Spanish as Barry did know, he was confident the word meant ‘friend’. If the two were dating, why would they bother using such a casual word to describe their relationship? It didn’t make any sense. But now that Barry had the hard evidence in front of him, it was clear that the two had been together for awhile. Things hadn’t just happened overnight. The boys had been acting this way towards one another long enough that Barry hadn’t noticed the change. They had moved from friends to boyfriends, and no one had noticed.

When Barry looked around, he could see that he was not the only one who had been affected by the reveal of Bart and Jaime’s relationship status. Wonder Girl (Barry remembered her as Diana’s protegé) had her eyebrows raised, but a smirk on her lips. It was confusing to say the least. Clearly, the raised eyebrows indicated that the girl was surprised, but the grin was out of place. Was she happy that the two had gotten together? Had she known it was coming? Those were the only possible explanations Barry could come up with to justify the strange expression. Perhaps he would need to ask. 

Moving on, the next figure who caught the speedster’s eye was Traci. Despite her being relatively new to the team, Barry recognized her. She, Bart and Jaime had hung out together on occasion. Not as much as just Bart and Jaime had, but Barry could remember Bart mentioning the girl’s name from time to time. She had a sour look on her face. She was unmistakably upset. 

“He’s gay?!” 

* * *

Traci was in denial. There was no way she was seeing what she thought she was. Her eyes (or mind? She wasn’t exactly sure how things worked in the mindspace) had to be playing tricks on her. There was no way Jaime and Bart had just kissed. 

Jaime had insisted that he and Bart were just friends. The three of them hung out together all the time and Traci had never seen any indication of the two being anything more to each other than what they claimed to be. Jaime wouldn’t lie to her. 

Jaime wasn’t gay. He’d never, not once, shown any sign that he had an interest in other boys. At least, none that Traci could point out. Plus there was that old rumor that Jaime had had a thing for Cassie back when he’d first joined the team. That of course wasn’t the case now, what with Tim and the demigoddess dating (even if their relationship was currently on the rocks), if it had even been a thing to begin with. But the point was, Jaime liked girls. 

Traci thought she’d been getting pretty close to Jaime. Ever since she had first joined the team and laid eyes on him, she’d been enamored by the Hispanic teen. Jaime was intelligent, cute- in a dorky sort of way, and  _ hot _ . Behind the baggy hoodies and jeans he always wore was a beautifully sculpted figure, complete with strong, broad shoulders, and six pack abs. His tanned skin was flawless, his eyes dark brown pools that just drew you in, and his hair darker still- ebony locks as soft as feathers. The way his voice rolled with that thick Spanish accent was enough to make anyone swoon, and a familiar warmth radiated from his persona, reminiscent of the same warmth one would feel in their own home. Jaime was the perfect catch, and Traci wanted to be the one to reel him in. 

Thus far, she hadn’t quite gotten the response from Jaime that she’d wanted. Traci had been flirting with him from day one, yet he just seemed oblivious to her advances. She knew that boys could be dense, but she hadn’t expected someone as smart as Jaime to be so clueless. Traci constantly gave him compliments, laughed at all of his jokes (even when they weren’t that funny, or when no one else laughed), and tried to initiate as much physical contact with him as she could get away with. If all of that didn’t scream desperate, Traci had no idea how she would get his attention. 

Jaime always seemed so focused on Bart. And it drove her absolutely crazy. What did Bart have that Traci didn’t? She was cute, and nerdy in the same type of way that Jaime was himself. Plus  _ she was a girl _ . Why was Jaime spending more time hanging out with a boy than her? At his age, surely girls should be one of the only things on his mind. Traci just didn’t get it. 

Bart was always there. Whenever Traci would try to ask Jaime to hang out with her, or if they could do something with just the two of them, Jaime always asked if he could invite Bart along, or he told her that he already had plans. Plans that coincidentally always involved the annoying speedster. 

Traci got that Jaime and Bart were friends. She got that they had gone through a traumatic thing together with the Reach. But that didn’t automatically make them boyfriends. Traci failed to see any type of chemistry between them. She could never see Jaime liking Bart like that. The speedster had too much energy for his own good, was an impulsive mess and tried way too hard to make people like him. Plus if Traci was being honest, she didn’t really think Bart had much going for him physically either. He was the shortest and youngest member on the team. He was skinny and lanky where he should be muscled, and the mix of red-brown hair, green eyes and splatter of freckles across his face all clashed together. Traci honestly couldn’t see the appeal. 

Her brain must have been playing tricks on her. That was the only explanation. There was no way Jaime was dating Bart. It just wasn’t possible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me! I know this chapter was horribly written compared to what this story has been thus far. Bianca and Traci were very difficult to write. 
> 
> Also, if you couldn't already tell, I'm not a huge fan of Traci (lol. Sorry if you guys are). As someone who read the Blue Beetle comics (the 2006 run), I never really understood why Traci was even there to begin with. She did very little to influence Jaime's character. The only times she seemed to show up were when Jaime needed some kind of magical solution to a problem. It would have said more about Jaime's character in the comics if he had just been allowed to solve the problems on his own. The only thing Traci's presence seemed to reinforce was the fact that Jaime was heterosexual. In my honest opinion, I think the only reason she was included in the series was to give Jaime someone to date, so that he didn't have to third-wheel with Brenda and Paco. 
> 
> In the YJ Universe however, I do believe there is some potential in her character. Greg and Brandon didn't really explore much with her this past season, other than stating the fact that she and Jaime were dating (again, the same type of role she had in the BB comics, that went absolutely nowhere. She and Jaime broke up within a couple months and only went on one or two dates, if I recall correctly). If Greg and Brandon really want to do Traci's character justice, they will adhere to her personality Post-Flashpoint. 
> 
> But yeah, not a huge fan of Traci (feel free to start an argument with me in the comments about it. I already have a feeling it's coming), which is why I kind of wrote her as the stereotypical jealous mean girl. Plus, you know, for plot. I did characterize her this way for a reason other than my dislike for her. I have plans for Traci later down the line. 
> 
> As for the scene with the Reyes fam, sorry Bianca and Alberto were so ooc. I honestly cringed going back and comparing the way I wrote them here to their comic counterparts, so to those of you who have read Jaime's 2006 run, I'm sorry. Hopefully I'll get better with their characterization as this story goes on. I still have a lot of plot to get through, so hopefully you guys will stick with me to the end. 
> 
> I really do appreciate all of the comments and feedback you leave for me, as well as the encouragement. It really means a lot. Thank you to those of you who have supported this story, as well as my others here on AO3, and the little drabbles I occasionally write on tumblr. All of the writing I do is for y'all. 
> 
> As for those of you who haven't yet, feel free to check out my other bluepulse works here, or give [ my tumblr page](https://paintingwithdarkness.tumblr.com) a look. My inbox is always open for drabble and hc requests, questions about me and just life in general XD. And as always, please leave comments on this story! I love hearing what you guys think, discussing the story, bluepulse and young justice in general. Don't be shy!


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